


Balance and Ruin

by ireadthisonefic



Category: Final Fantasy VI, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-06-26 00:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 71,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15652173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ireadthisonefic/pseuds/ireadthisonefic
Summary: Chocobo rancher Kang Seulgi gets taken on the ride of her life when a group of rebels calling themselves the Returners abscond with her birds!





	1. Waltz de Chocobo

Far afield, on the outskirts of the small village of Mobliz, Seulgi was relaxing. She was nestled on a large, low branch of her favorite tree, shaded from the afternoon sun, as her modest flock of chocobos strutted about. One leg dangled and she let her bare foot brush against the tips of the tall grass as she chewed on the end of a stalk of it absently.

She hummed to herself, some ditty she heard a pretty girl sing at the new saloon, while she lazily planned out the rest of her chores for the day. With her brother abroad and her retired parents thinking they were now excused from all labor, it was up to Seulgi to take care of things. And there was a lot to take care of: her mom would need her to get the food up from the cellar to cook, her dad would want her to walk him to and from the library to get new books, she still had half a field of gysahl greens to finish threshing before the summer was over, and as always there were the birds and all of the miscellaneous duties involved in taking care of them.

So she tipped her soft, wide-brimmed hat a little bit lower over her eyes, and sank just a little bit deeper into that crook in the tree, and tried to enjoy this brief moment of respite.

It was just another quiet moment, on another quiet day, in her relatively quiet life.

Until it wasn’t.

“Kweh!” she heard a chocobo squawk from somewhere down the hill.

“Kweh,” Seulgi answered back around her stalk of grass, still spacing out.

But the squawking only increased, and now multiple birds were voicing their distress. Seulgi sat up from her reclined position just in time to see three figures climbing onto the backs of her chocobos and riding off with them-

“-HEY!” she shouted as she slid from the branch and took off after the thieves. “HEY, _STOP!!!_ ” she yelled uselessly, waving her hat at them as they rode off towards the Veldt.

The Veldt. That expanse of wild, untamed savanna, full of the foulest, most horrifying creatures imaginable - leftovers from the War of the Magi. Land was cheap out in this neighborhood and Seulgi’s parents hadn’t hesitated to snatch it up.

“Boko!” she called, putting her fingers in her mouth and giving a shrill whistle as she ran. A large, golden-yellow chocobo raced up beside her and she paused only long enough to scramble up onto its back. “Good boy, NOW GET THEM!” she cried, urging the bird into a sprint.

Boko wasn’t just another chocobo out of her family’s flock, he was Seulgi’s constant companion and friend while she went about her duties on the ranch. They were a team, and today they were going to catch some thieves.

The other riders had a bit of a head start, but her birds weren’t terribly friendly with strangers, and she saw the trio of chocobos swerve and flap about as the thieves tried to control them. Seulgi couldn’t help a smirk as she began to slowly catch up.

But then she suddenly saw one of the riders slip from their chocobo and fall into the tall grass. The other two thieves circled around and came back to help their comrade, and this gave Seulgi plenty of time to close the distance. She saw the riders dismount and kneel near their friend as she rode up.

She urged Boko to a stop, and hopped off his back as he ran up to their group. But before she could even open her mouth to speak, she suddenly found herself at the wrong end of a sabre’s long, silvery blade. Its owner was a dark-haired girl, a little shorter than Seulgi, with a scowl so intimidating that she retreated a step.

“H-hey, those chocobos belong to me!” Seulgi yelled, pointing to the three birds. The girl simply continued to keep her sword between Seulgi and herself as she risked a glance behind herself at her friends. Seulgi took that moment to bat the blade away with her forearm and rush the girl.

Or at least that was her intention.

Seulgi suddenly found herself on her back in the grass with the girl’s boot crushing her ribs as she slowly brought her blade around to point at Seulgi’s throat.

“How is she?” the girl asked, looking behind herself again, barely paying the pinned Seulgi any mind.

“I’m fine, I just lost my grip is all,” came another female voice.

“You’re _not_ fine, you’re bleeding.” And another?

“Get up, we don’t have time to- _countenanced carbuncle_ , they’re here…!” the first girl announced with a curse. She stepped away from the cowed Seulgi and dropped into a battle stance, but she seeing Seulgi still lying there on the ground, she cursed again. She reached down and yanked Seulgi to her feet - for someone so petite, she was _strong_. “Just stay behind me,” the girl ordered, pushing Seulgi behind herself, and Seulgi finally noticed what had her on edge.

A hot beam whizzed past their group and struck the ground behind them, sending up a massive spray of dirt and grass, and Seulgi could taste the ionization in the air. “What in the world…” it was two soldiers riding… _machines_. They were large, intricate contraptions that walked on two piston-powered feet, and each had something that looked distressingly like a cannon in the center that was trained on their group.

She had never seen one before in person, but there was really only one thing they could be: Magitek Armor from the Gestahlian Imperial Army. Her brother had written to her before about these hulking weapons, and the soulless soldiers who piloted them. The Gestahlian Army wasn’t exactly known for its honor or morality in its crusade for world domination, especially not while under the leadership of its current general and the Court Wizard.

But what were these two units doing all the way out here on the edge of the Veldt, an ocean away from Gestahl’s capital?

She had no more time for reflection as they fired again, and Seulgi’s chocobos cried out, scattering in all directions.

“No… no…!” the girl who had fallen - a redhead - groaned, watching them flee. But Seulgi was glad they were escaping the current danger. She could always round them up again with Boko later.

“Sit tight, Joy,” the third girl, a blonde, said, patting the redhead. “Irene and I will handle this.”

"Careful, Yeri," Joy warned.

"No worries! There's one for each of us," the blonde replied. "Right, Irene?"

But Irene, the dark-haired girl, didn't quite have the blonde’s confidence. These machines were why they had had to run in the first place.

Seulgi wasn’t sure what compelled her, but as she saw the tell-tale glow of one of the unit’s cannons warming up to shoot again, she threw herself over Joy’s injured form to protect her from the incoming blast.

But it never came. That burnt taste in the air was still there, but there was no sound of the impact, no shower of debris. Seulgi turned to look behind herself in confusion, but all she saw was Irene standing there with her blade raised high above her head, it’s silvery length alight with crackling energy.

She was confused, but Joy pat Seulgi on the shoulder, drawing her attention. “Hey, I’m flattered, really, but do you think you could back up a bit? We haven’t even been properly introduced.” Was this injured woman - no, this _thief_ , Seulgi had to remind herself - was she cracking jokes while they were being attacked by the _Gestahlian army_?

But Seulgi bashfully retreated and turned her attention back to the fight.

“My turn,” Irene said with a dark smirk. Seulgi watched in awe as Irene charged straight at one of the machines and in one, two, three steps she had scaled it right up to the cockpit where the soldier piloting it sat. Seulgi had almost missed it, how Irene had seemed to know exactly where to place her feet to get the best leverage on her way up, and the commanding way she stood on top of it, staring down at the soldier who was struggling to free himself from his harness - just how many of these things had she fought to know how to attack them so efficiently? So fearlessly?

But the other unit turned and began to charge at the commandeered Magitek Armor. He looked like he was going to ram it to knock her off. The attacking unit didn’t make it far, however, as Seulgi saw Yeri suddenly dart up with a pair of long daggers and cut at the tangle of tubes connecting the machine’s legs. There was a spray of hydraulic fluid as the blonde rushed past in her momentum, and the unit collapsed under its own weight, crushing its compromised legs in a groan of bruised metal.

Irene dispatched the first pilot remorselessly, and with a flick of her sabre, she shifted her attention to the second pilot.

“Biggs!” the second pilot cried out, seeing his comrade’s slumped form in the other cockpit. “You _bitch!_ ” he roared as he unhitched his own harness and stood up to face her.

Irene gracefully leapt down from the Magitek Armor and wordlessly approached him as he scrambled out of his compromised unit. He drew a longsword and fell into a stance, but seeing the cool way she continued to walk over towards him, Seulgi could see this pilot’s knees were starting to shake.

Yeri wasn’t even watching the fight anymore. She was back by Joy’s side, assessing the bleeding and going through her things, looking for medical supplies. But Seulgi was transfixed.

It took two strokes of Irene’s sword to conclude the battle. One to smack the soldier’s sword out of his grip… “As expected of a genera-” and two to cut straight across his throat before he could finish his sentence. It wasn’t nearly as clean as her work on the first pilot, but he had pissed her off. She wiped the tip of her blade on his fatigues, even as he fell to his knees, blood foaming from his throat and mouth.

Irene's attitude had been so cold, so _unbelievably_ cold, that Seulgi couldn’t suppress a shiver as Irene turned her gaze back towards their group.

“How is she?” the dark-haired girl called over as she returned.

“Not great,” Yeri admitted. “The bleeding is just a small cut, but I think she fell pretty badly on her ankle.” The blonde batted Joy’s hands away as the redhead tried to assess the damage herself. “Knock it off, you and I both know you can’t walk on this.”

“We need to keep moving. There will be more of them soon,” Irene said with a glance back at the two abandoned machines.

Seulgi was slowly starting to realize that these women weren’t just your typical bird thieves.

“How far are you heading?” she heard herself ask.

The three girls turned to look at her, almost as if they had forgotten she was still there.

They then looked back at each other and Seulgi was sure she saw Yeri subtly shrug at Irene.

“We have to keep heading south, across the Veldt,” Irene finally stated. She still sounded just as emotionless after the battle as before when she had knocked Seulgi flat on her back. It was as if she were a machine too.

“But… there’s nothing south of the Veldt,” Seulgi said, a little confused. All that awaited them was just miles of untamed coastline.

“We have a boat coming,” Joy grunted painfully as Yeri finally helped her to her feet. The redhead almost immediately collapsed again as she tested her weight on her injured ankle, and she leaned on Yeri heavily.

“Hopefully,” Yeri added, straining under the weight.

Seulgi gave a look back at the two dead soldiers and then at Boko, who was skittishly approaching their group now that the danger had passed. She gave a brief whistle and Boko picked up the pace until he was by Seulgi’s side, snapping gently at her hair.

“Ow hey- hey! Alright I get it, I’m fine!” she said, hitting him playfully with her soft hat. Seulgi walked Boko over to Joy and Yeri.

“Help me get her on,” she said with a nod towards her chocobo.

The three girls squinted at Seulgi suspiciously.

Seulgi looked back and forth between them all. “What? She can’t walk, right? And you’re being chased by the Empire? Help me get her on, and then we’ll head south.” She encouraged Boko to kneel in the grass and reached out for Joy to give her a hand.

_We?_

“Why?” Irene asked. Everyone present was very aware that there was no stopping Irene from just taking the chocobo from Seulgi if she wanted, but in a twist, this rancher was… offering to help them? Once again, Irene was surprised by the magnanimity of people. It just didn’t make any sense; it wasn’t something she was sure she could ever get used to.

Seulgi didn’t look at her as she helped Joy get settled on Boko’s back. “I thought you were just some thieves at first,” she admitted. “But I can see you’re just in trouble, and I can help. Why not?”

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?" Yeri asked cheekily.

“The Veldt’s no place for a ranch hand,” Joy said, clinging to Boko’s neck as the bird stood up from his crouched position.

Seulgi hesitated, but eventually walked over to the grisly sight of the second soldier Irene had killed. She stooped and carefully retrieved his longsword and hefted it in her hand, testing the balance. She noticed an engraving on the hilt that read “Sgt. Wedge”.

“I know a thing or two about the Veldt,” she said as she walked back over to the group. “I mean… I’ve lived next to it my whole life.” Her swordsmanship was nothing compared to what she had seen from Irene, but her brother had taught her some of the basics before he left - enough to defend their parents’ home at least.

Irene pursed her lips, but an encouraging look from Yeri made her finally speak up. “Fine, but I can’t guarantee your safety,” she said begrudgingly.

Seulgi gave her a faint smile. This was possibly one of the stupidest things she had ever decided to do in her young adult life, but what other option did she have? Was she supposed to just leave these three girls stranded in the Veldt, injured?

They began walking, Boko with Joy perched atop following Seulgi obediently, and the other two girls at alert on the flanks, and Seulgi was sure she heard Joy mutter from up behind her, “The minute we get to a town, we’re buying some potions.”

+++

 

There was mutual agreement that they shouldn’t try to continue their crossing once night fell. Beyond the reach of their campfire, the savanna was alive with the vague snarls and grunts of nocturnal creatures skulking about. It was a reminder of the minor scuffles they had entered into over the past few hours, and how badly they were all in need of a rest.

Seulgi made sure Boko was able to calm down, despite the strange surroundings, and then sat heavily near the fire with a loud sigh. Her parents were probably worried sick, and who knew what had become of the rest of her chocobo flock after she just left them to wander about on that hill. Her parents weren’t incapable of managing things without her, but she had just left so suddenly and without any word...

She would have a lot of explaining to do once she returned from this bizarre escort mission.

Seulgi looked over at her equally exhausted companions, and what curious figures they were: The one called Yeri seemed younger than the others, and in markedly better spirits, as she unwrapped the makeshift brace around Joy’s ankle and carefully twisted the taller girl’s foot this way and that. She was dressed in practical, layered clothes, a cropped jacket over a loose shirt, a simple pair of tight trousers tucked into leather boots. The only article that might draw attention to the girl was the bandanna she had tied in her hair, a splash of purple that emphasized her blonde tresses against her outfit's otherwise muted palette.

Joy hissed as Yeri checked her ankle for a break. Aside from her infirmed condition, there was something about the redhead that screamed wealth. Maybe it was her embossed breastplate, covered in elegant filigree, despite the dents and scratches. The large crossbow at her side was of a sort Seulgi had never seen before. It had a crank and a box attached to it, and inside Seulgi could see the points of large bolts reflecting the firelight. Everything else associated with the woman was silk and velvet, lace and braided gold rope. Seulgi was sure her outfit alone could buy her family’s entire plot of land.

Different still was Irene. She had a command and poise that went beyond her understated clothes: simple trousers and a sleeveless top, the only ornamentation being the sheathed sabre that hung from her hip. The way she sat, with her legs folded beneath her, her hands resting calmly on her thighs, her dark eyes fixed on the flickering flames - everything about her seemed so calculated. She was relaxed but ready, calm but _aware_.

And she raised those dark eyes to Seulgi suddenly, noticing the rancher watching her.

Seulgi nearly startled at getting caught; Irene’s expression had barely changed from that flat, emotionless mein from when they had first met, and Seulgi couldn’t even begin to guess what was going through her head. And maybe it was the way the fire danced in those hard, dark eyes of hers, but Seulgi was finally able to hold her gaze for the first time today.    

“I suppose introductions are in order,” Yeri said as she sat heavily between Seulgi and Joy, bringing the ranch hand’s attention away from Irene. The cheeky blonde stuck out her hand. “Kim Yerim, world-famous Treasure Hunter, at your service! But my friends call me Yeri~”

Over the top of Yeri’s head, Seulgi could see Joy mouthing the word ‘thief’ to her. Regardless, she didn't recognize either of those epithets.

Yeri looked back at Joy and scowled, though Joy did her best to play innocent.

"Uh, I guess I'm Seulgi. No fancy titles here. I'm a chocobo rancher?" That had to count for something.

“And I’m Joy, Queen of Figaro,” the redhead said nonchalantly.

“Wait, _Queen_ of _Figaro_?” Seulgi interrupted incredulously. The Kingdom of Figaro was all the way on the other side of the world, thousands of miles from Mobliz.

Yeri elbowed Joy. “Queen Sooyoung, The _Joy_ of Figaro.” The blonde began laughing hysterically after announcing Joy’s full title.

“Just call me Joy, alright?” the queen grumbled, trying not to turn the threatening gaze she had fixed on Yeri on poor Seulgi.

Seulgi did her best to keep a straight face and nodded.

But after another moment, Joy looked less embarrassed and more pensive. “Mobliz isn’t in the Kingdom of Doma, is it?” It seemed too remote to be part of that kingdom, out here on the edge of the Veldt, but as far as she could guess, it was the nearest principality.  

“Doma?” Seulgi asked, suddenly perking up. “No, but my brother went there to join the army last year. Why?”

The three other girls fell silent. Seulgi looked between them in confusion.

Irene stood brusquely and walked away. She stared out at the dark plains as she leaned up against the lone tree they had decided to camp near, just outside of the reach of the firelight.

“Wh… what’s wrong?” It was the most emotion Seulgi had seen Irene display since they had met.

Joy inhaled. “That’s where we were running from when we found your chocobos. Doma was attacked, Seulgi. The Empire poisoned the river.”

Seulgi’s brows began to furrow and she opened her mouth, though she couldn’t quite put a voice to her next question.

Yeri answered it for her anyway. “I’m sorry, Seulgi.”

“There were no survivors.”


	2. The Veldt

Seulgi was very quiet the next day, and the other girls left her to her thoughts as they continued their trek across the sprawling plains of the Veldt. This didn’t stop Joy and Yeri from talking amongst themselves, however.

“You don’t think they’d chase us all the way out here, do you?” Yeri asked.

“I don’t know, after that little stunt we pulled back at Castle Figaro, and Do- and uh, all of the _other_ ways we’ve annoyed the Empire lately, I think we’ve become public enemy number one,” Joy answered.

“Yeah, I bet they weren’t expecting your whole castle to bury itself in the sand,” Yeri snickered.

“Hey, Gestahl isn’t the only kingdom with top-notch engineers. They don’t have _me_ after all~” Joy lilted. “It’s a simple matter of displacement, really.” And then she laughed. “Ha! Matter displacement!”

And much to the relief of the grief-stricken Seulgi and the introverted Irene, Joy’s description of the machinations and physics involved in burying an entire castle in the Southern Desert took about an hour to fully explore.

“And besides,” Joy finished a little more soberly. “It was the only way we were going to be able to extinguish the flames.”

Yeri fell silent, and Seulgi looked back up at the queen on her chocobo. “So Figaro was attacked too?” Seulgi asked quietly.

Joy nodded down at her sympathetically. “Gestahl’s own Court Wizard paid us a visit.” Joy sighed. She wasn’t sure exactly how much Seulgi knew about world events, being from a town tucked away in such a remote corner of the countryside, but she had said her brother went to join Doma’s army. She must know a little.

“He came with an offer we couldn’t refuse. Or at least, one that we weren’t _supposed_ to refuse,” she explained. “It was the usual ultimatum: join us or die. We had been doing our best to stay neutral for years before now, but…”

“But they found out you _weren’t_ really being neutral at all,” Yeri clarified. “Joy’s been helping us rebels try and thwart the Empire at every turn. She’s been funneling us supplies, money, safe passage…” Joy gave her a thin-lipped smile.

“And what a price I almost paid for it,” the redhead sighed again. “The Wizard set my whole castle on fire when I finally told them no.” She still very vividly remembered exiting her hall to the sounds of screams outside. She remembered being surrounded by the burning bodies of her own Queen’s Guard. She remembered seeing soldiers tumbling from the battlements engulfed in flames.

Everyone who had been outside of the halls of the castle was already lost anyway, so all she had needed to do was order the lever pulled to plunge the whole castle into the depths of the sand and save the rest of her people.

“... You’re the Returners,” Seulgi stated. Her brother had written to her about an elite rebel group whose headquarters were near Castle Doma. He had been so proud to be part of the last bastion between the Empire and the free peoples of the world. Seulgi couldn’t wait to get back home and reread every single one of his letters.

What was she going to tell her parents?

“I guess we’re pretty famous, now,” Yeri said with a grin.

“ _In_ famous,” Joy clarified.

Irene let the three of them lag behind a bit as she continued to lead. She still didn’t quite have the stomach to hear the extent of all the atrocities the Empire has been committing during its campaign against these holdout kingdoms.

“Yeah, well I guess I’m used to a little infamy~” Yeri teased with a swish of her hair with its purple bandanna.

“What this world needs is more _heroes_ , and fewer _criminals_ though,” Joy countered, unsympathetically.

Yeri visibly drooped. “Hey, it’s not _my_ fault local laws get in the way of my work. And besides, where would we be if it wasn’t for my _talents_? Why, Irene would still be-” the rest of Yeri’s sentence died on her lips as Irene suddenly stopped and glared back at her.

It was a tense moment as Irene stared her down, and the dark-haired girl ever so subtly flicked her gaze over to indicate Seulgi. After a long moment, Yeri seemed to get the hint and cleared her throat.

“Wh-what I was saying is, I think I’ve done my part to clear my name! I-I’m on the level now…!” she went on, trying to regain her composure.

Seulgi wasn’t exactly sure what just happened, but she did notice something that depressingly resembled the large skeleton of a dragon suddenly rear up in front of Irene.

“I… Irene…” Seulgi breathed, pointing up with a shaking hand. Seulgi had never been this deep in the Veldt before, but she knew it only got more dangerous the farther one traveled. Still, watching a bone dragon pulling itself up out of the dirt and leering at them with its glowing red eyes was not a sight she had been prepared to see.

Irene already had her blade drawn, as much use as it may be against such a large foe, and Joy wasted no time leveling her heavy crossbow at it.

“What’s the plan, general?” the Queen asked as she peered along the crossbow’s sights.

 _General_? But Seulgi didn’t have time to ponder that title as the creature finally pulled itself free of the ground with a spine-tingling roar.

“Just attack it!” Irene cried a bit shrilly as she kept an eye on its claws. “Yeri, keep Seulgi back!”

Seulgi was beginning to notice a theme as the small blonde tugged her back behind Boko before dodging out from behind the bird to take a place beside Irene. She wasn’t exactly excited to face such a difficult enemy right out of the gate, but she was supposed to be the one escorting these girls across the Veldt. She carefully drew her sword out of her belt - a soldier’s sword, from the Gestahlian Imperial Army.

And even as she watched Irene and Yeri split off to charge the bone dragon’s flanks, blades flashing in the midday sun, all she could think about was how glad she was that her brother had died by poisoning, and not on the end of a sword.

Joy tried to keep the dragon’s attention by loosing a volley of bolts at its face, but despite several points finding their mark and splintering through the dragon’s brittle skull, the hulking creature still managed to kick out and send Yeri sprawling away.

“Yeri!” Joy cried out. The beast’s clawed foot was as large as the blonde herself, so it had been an impressive hit.

Seulgi sprinted over to where she saw Yeri disappear in the grass. “Yeri? Yeri!” she called until she found the girl struggling for breath. “Hey, it’s okay, just relax!” Seulgi instructed as she slid to her knees by Yeri’s side. She carefully helped Yeri sit up and the blonde coughed as she finally recovered.  

“You’re supposed to stay back,” Yeri choked. “This is way more dangerous than the Armors.”

Well, that wasn’t a comforting thought.

“Should we try to escape?” Seulgi asked. She wasn’t sure, but Yeri might be small enough to squeeze onto Boko’s back with Joy, while she and Irene could make a run for it.

“We might have to. I’m going to try and get it off its feet first, though,” the blonde said as she rose to a crouch and took off again. Seulgi wasn’t sure how useful Yeri’s daggers were going to be against something that didn’t have hamstrings, but to her surprise, Yeri was digging through her pack as she ran.

“Wait Yeri…!” Joy called.

“If not now, then when?” Yeri shouted back, and she shoved something in the back of one of the dragon’s knees. “Irene, fire!”

Irene who had been literally and figuratively chipping away at the dragon, trying to avoid its swiping claws and large teeth, quickly caught on to Yeri’s plan.

“ _Ice_ , Yeri, only ice!” Irene cried out as she pivoted out of the way of another attack.

“Sheesh, what use is that?” Yeri said to herself as she rummaged in her bag for a match. “Praise Ifrit, now we’re talking!” she cried as she found one.

Seulgi watched as the blonde quickly ducked in again and lit whatever it was she had wedged in the dragon’s knee, and there was a loud _BOOM_ as shards of bone whizzed out in an arc away from the explosion.

“ _YERI!!!_ ” three voices cried out as the dragon collapsed on its injured leg.

Seulgi and Irene rushed to the scene as Joy kept the fallen dragon busy with her repeating crossbow.

There was a lot of coughing as Yeri scooted out from underneath the pile of bones and reached out to let the girls help her up. “Okay, _now_ we can run,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“I swear on the three goddesses,” Irene grumbled as she hoisted Yeri up roughly. “Joy, we’re leaving!” she shouted back at the queen.

Seulgi gave a whistle and Joy yelped as Boko began loping towards them.

“What was that? A bomb?” Seulgi asked as they ran.

“Just a small one,” Yeri replied.

“A small bomb. In your pack.”

“Oh, it’s perfectly safe.”

“Rolling around in there loose... with matches?”

“ _Perfectly safe_ ,” Yeri iterated, as if she hadn’t heard.

+++

 

“I still can’t believe you used our last bomb,” Joy hissed as she carefully stretched out and rolled her ankle.

“Uh, you’re welcome?” Yeri replied sarcastically.

They were taking a well-deserved break under the shade of a large boulder after their sprint from the injured bone dragon. Seulgi walked Boko to a small pool and patted his neck. “Good boy. I know, I know. You’re doing just fine,” Seulgi murmured as he tossed his head after drinking. “That’s it, we’re taking a little break. We’ll be home soon, don’t worry.”

“Do you always talk to your birds, ranch hand?”  

“Yes,” Seulgi replied automatically. “I mean _no_! I mean, Boko’s different…! He’s special.”

She looked over to see Irene kneeling at the bank of the pool. The dark-haired girl dipped her hands in the water and splashed her face, washing away the grime of their battle and the sweat of their ensuing escape.

“Special how?” Irene asked, squinting up at a flustered Seulgi as she wiped the excess water off of her face. “Like a pet?”

Seulgi frowned. It almost felt like Irene was teasing her in some way, but her stone-cold face suggested her questions were genuine.

“Yeah, like a pet, I guess. Do you… do you want to pet him?”

Irene looked up at the bright yellow bird suspiciously. Her last encounter with a chocobo had been less than ideal, and she wasn’t exactly a huge fan of animals to begin with.

“Here, like this,” Seulgi directed, moving aside so Irene could come up and stroke Boko’s neck. She gave him a few pats herself as an example, sensing Irene’s hesitation. “He’s much better behaved than the ones you stole- uh, I mean-!”

Irene scoffed. It was almost like a laugh. Almost. “I’d apologize, but…” she began as she slowly came up to Boko and carefully rested her hand on his soft feathers, “... but I’d do it again in a heartbeat, if I’m being honest.”

Seulgi wasn’t sure what to make of that, and she suddenly realized Irene hadn’t been part of the round of introductions last night. She didn’t have any context for whom Irene might be, the way Joy was the Queen of Figaro, or how Yeri was… some ‘world famous’ thief or whatever she had called herself. Treasure Hunter?

“Well you know, you could have just asked,” Seulgi muttered absently as she watched the gentle way Irene pet Boko, almost as if she was getting lost in thought.

“We were kind of in a hurry,” Irene replied, and then after a moment: “Boko, huh?”

“Yup.”

“He’s a good boy.”

“Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

After they finished resting and continued on, Seulgi noticed that Irene liked to stay back near Boko and Joy, letting Yeri take the lead.

If Seulgi didn’t know any better, she might say-

“I think you _like_ the bird,” Joy said down to the dark-haired girl, reading Seulgi’s thoughts.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Irene said neutrally. “It’s just a chocobo.”

“Kweh.”

Irene rested a hand on Boko’s back as they walked.

+++

 

“I think we’re going to have to stop again. I don’t think it’s too much farther to the sea, but I’m almost positive we won’t reach it before nightfall,” Seulgi stated, glancing up at the sun’s position in the sky. She didn’t have much to go on in the way of directions, except what she could remember of the local maps from her school days.

“How long is that boat supposed to wait for you guys?” she asked.

The three Returners exchanged looks.

“We didn’t really-”

“We were kind of in a rush-”

“There wasn’t time-”

Even as the all spoke over each other, Seulgi thought she could understand what they were trying to say.

“So, you don’t know? Like, if they’re even going to be waiting for you still?”

Irene looked ahead in the direction they were traveling. “We don’t know if they even made it out alive,” she said solemnly. “We’ve been running since Dom-” she paused.

“... You can say it,” Seulgi said quietly, letting the brim of her hat hide her face as she looked down.

“We just said to meet at the southern tip of the Veldt,” Joy broke in.

Seulgi was still blinking back tears as she nodded. “Okay. That’s a start I guess.”

Irene began walking ahead again and the others slowly followed. Yeri came up to Seulgi and elbowed her.

“Hey… I uh… I don’t know if you want to talk about it or anything, but I know what it’s like to lose someone you love.” She could feel Joy watching her as she spoke, but she knew if she met her gaze all of that pain might resurface, and right now she was trying to comfort Seulgi, not deal with her own loss.

Seulgi was doing her best to keep a brave face as well, as Yeri made her appeal.

“I guess I just wanted to say that I get it. We all get it, actually. It’s… not easy to do what’s right, you know?” Yeri exhaled. “I know we’ve only known each other for like, a day, but if you want to talk about it…?”

Seulgi finally managed a smile down at the shorter girl. “Thanks,” was all she could say. She looked up at the sky as she attempted to keep her emotions in check.

“It was jarring enough when he decided to enlist, you know?” Seulgi found herself saying. “I mean when you grow up in such a remote place, I guess everyone expects you to kind of… _stay_ there.” She gave a light laugh. “Even the people who do leave… usually end up coming back…” And she grit her teeth and looked away, feeling a few stray tears race down her cheeks.

Yeri was surprised to hear her speak up again after that pause.

“But it’s like you said. He wanted to do what he thought was right. Figaro was too far away,” she said with a watery glance up to Joy who looked solemn. “But Doma was just over the mountains.”

He had been so proud of himself. Their parents had been so proud of him. Seulgi hadn’t quite realized it then, but after listening to Joy’s story about Castle Figaro, and seeing how quickly Irene had been able to kill those soldiers, every letter she had been able to receive from her brother was a gift. It hadn’t quite occurred to her that he could die. She thought the Empire was too far away. She had only thought about how inconvenient it would be to visit him, or have to wait for the army to give him leave to come home.

He had been proud of himself, but she hoped he had also been happy.

“If I _ever_ see another Imperial soldier…”

And Joy and Yeri instinctively glanced ahead at Irene’s back, watching the ex-Imperial General bravely walk on ahead, even as she listened to Seulgi’s grief.


	3. Four Valiant Hearts

Irene was just as distant that evening as she had been on the first night. She silently gazed into the crackling flames of their campfire, tuning out the bickering voices of Joy and Yeri, and whether or not she was aware of Seulgi’s eyes upon her, she gave no indication.

It wasn’t that Seulgi meant to stare. Irene was just sitting directly across the fire from her. Or at least, that was as much thought as Seulgi’s weary brain was willing to put into it. She did have to admit, now that they were out of battle however, that Irene was quite beautiful - the cold shadow of death perched on her shoulders aside, yes, she was very pretty.

Seulgi hadn’t missed the way Irene rarely joined in Yeri and Joy’s conversations, and she wondered why she should be thinking of something like that now, on the last night they would see each other, perhaps forever. The goddesses knew she had plenty of other things to think about after these past two days, but here she sat, wondering about this mysterious girl on the other side of the campfire. Maybe it was her tired brain looking for a distraction, something to focus on that wasn’t thoughts about her brother, or the conversation she would have to have with her parents, but she found herself on the verge of asking question after question as it popped into her head.

_Where did you learn to fight like that?_

_Why did Joy call you ‘general’?_

_What do you have against chocobos, anyway?_

Yeri fell silent, as Joy rambled on about a new modification she was planning on adding to her crossbow once they reached ‘civilization’ again. She was busy watching Seulgi absently stare at Irene, and after a moment, she nudged the redhead and nodded at their two companions. Joy was silent in turn and shared in Yeri’s observation.  

And now that all conversation had died out, the myriad noises of the Veldt crept into their camp. Beyond the rustlings in the grass and the far-off howls and shrieks of the night, however, was the faint, high-pitched chortle of a seagull.

+++

 

They made it to the coast before midday, but a peek over the cliffs - “get _back_ from that edge or so help me…!” - revealed nothing but miles of featureless ocean stretching from horizon to horizon. There were no ships, and no obvious way down to the shore from their elevated position.

Seulgi didn’t want to be the one to say it - that perhaps their friends had already left to their next destination… or that they may not have made it to the southern edge of the Veldt in the first place. But as she looked up and down the jagged coastline with the crashing of the waves far below them, she wasn’t exactly sure what their next step should be.

“What a view though, huh?” Joy mentioned pensively as she stared out at the horizon in thought.

“The sky is so big,” Irene uttered quietly, drawing the attention of the other three girls.

Yeri raised an eyebrow and was about to comment but Joy suddenly kicked her in the shoulder. “That- _ow_! What’s the big idea?!”

Instead of answering, Joy turned to Seulgi. “Alright local yokel,” and Seulgi tossed aside the sprig of grass she had been chewing on, suddenly on the defensive, “are there any landmarks along the coast here? Like… a cape, or a lighthouse… something?” Something their friends might be waiting for them at.

Seulgi pushed her hat back away from her face, still put out by the form of address, but she was already sharing in that heart-sinking feeling that the other Returners weren’t here waiting for them. “No one lives out here; it’s way too dangerous this far south.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t know what the capes are called, but there is a mountain a little farther to the east, Crescent Mountain. That’s the only obvious landmark that I can think of.”

“What about West? That’s closer to where we came from, isn’t it?” Yeri asked, but Irene spoke up.

“We’re not _trying_ to get closer to where we came from. For all we know soldiers started tracking us from the falls back near Doma and followed the river to the ocean. They’re probably scouring the coast to the west as we speak, looking for us.” That’s what she would have done, anyway. “We’ll head to the mountain.” And without waiting for a response, she put a hand on Boko’s back and began walking east along the cliff.

Seulgi watched in shock as Boko actually followed the petite girl. She might have felt betrayed, if it weren’t such an oddly heartwarming sight. As she trailed behind, watching the three Returners abscond with yet another one of her birds, she began thinking about the logistics of getting home. Would it be entirely out of the question to ask their boat to take her up around the east coast back to Mobliz? Boko had been mostly walking this whole time, so in the event that they would need to make a run back up through the Veldt, they could probably cover the distance in a day in a half at a canter.

But what if there _was_ no boat? What would the girls do then? Where else could they go? Back to Mobliz with her? She had the sudden errant thought of these three characters helping her on the ranch while they made their next plan, and there was something about the idea of the Queen of Figaro trying to help her corral chocobos that set her to laughing.

And it felt good to finally laugh again, even as the other girls looked back at her in confusion.

+++

 

Crescent Mountain loomed to the East as the girls picked their way along the rocky coastal cliffs. Seulgi didn’t know much about the peak, except that it was the only easily recognizable feature along the barren shore. It stood alone without any other mountains around it, fringed by a narrow coniferous forest. They finally reached its base just as the sun was setting, and decided to try following its slopes down to the beach while that sliver of daylight remained.

There were certainly worse ways to spend an evening, as Irene and Seulgi helped guide Boko down to the water. Yeri glanced back up at them occasionally as she leapt from rock to rock, snickering as Joy struggled to balance on the chocobo’s back on the steep incline. The threat of attack was finally removed as they slowly made their way down to the beach, the narrow strip of sand blissfully free from the menagerie of horrid creatures that resided up on the Veldt.

In between glances at the rocks to make sure she wouldn’t lose her footing, Irene couldn’t help looking back out at the horizon, admiring the unadulterated view of the sunset with its pale pink and orange hues stretching up to a dizzying height above them. It was so different from the smog-choked skies of the Gestahlian capital of Vector. There was something strangely analogous about it, and she couldn’t help but glance across at Seulgi, supporting Boko and Joy from the other side.

She didn’t mean to assume, but Irene was fairly certain they couldn’t have had more different life experiences. Seulgi probably grew up with views much like this one, since Mobliz was such a quiet village, relatively unchanged by the innovations in technology. Seulgi's reaction to her brother’s death suggested her family had never been touched by grief before, and the fact that she had chased them all the way into the Veldt dressed in simple work clothes and ratty sandals evidenced a certain naivety that was almost endearing.

And so entirely unfamiliar.

“Wait,” Yeri hissed back to them.

Seulgi urged Boko to a halt and stroked his neck, watching the blonde in concern. She was impressed with Yeri’s agility as she soundlessly scaled back up to their position from the beach where she had been scouting ahead.

“There’s a cave at the base of the mountain. The ocean goes right in- and there’s a ship in there,” Yeri relayed to the girls.

“Really?” Seulgi said, excited for the Returners.

But Joy didn’t share in her jubilance, seeing how cautious Yeri was acting. “But…?”

Yeri stared up at her on the back of the chocobo with a dark look. “But it’s crawling with Imperial soldiers.”

“How many?” Irene cut in.

“A lot. I counted at least a dozen,” Yeri reported.

“A dozen,” Joy scoffed.

“Those were the ones standing around in the cave. There were more on the ship.”

“Is it an Imperial ship? Or…” Irene ventured.

Yeri turned back towards the cave. “I think it’s ours. It’s… it’s just a small cutter, not a military transport.”

Irene carefully scaled the last of the rocky cliff and snuck her way over towards the littoral cave to judge for herself. Out of the corner of her eye, Seulgi could see Joy already winding the crank of her repeating crossbow. Were these girls planning on fighting? But Seulgi opted to keep her mouth shut for now and wait on Irene’s assessment.

Irene crept towards the mouth of the cave and peered inside. As Yeri had described, there was the cutter, moored to a rock jutting out of the shallow water, and it was indeed crawling with Imperial soldiers.

“That’s the last of the crew,” she heard one of them say from up on the deck, and there was a _splash_ as another soldier tipped something heavy over the railing and into the water below. “What should we do now, Sarge?”

“Scupper her,” a brusque-looking man waiting down by the mooring lines ordered. “We’ll comb our way up the Veldt, but in case they sneak around us, I don’t want them escaping in this.”

“Yes, sir!”

And as the body of one of the awaiting Returners floated out of the mouth of the cave, past her and into the expanse of the sea, Irene saw red.

Down a little ways on the beach where Seulgi and Boko with Joy had alighted, there suddenly came a gust of bone-chilling wind from the cave, and a rapid _thunk thunk thunk_ , followed by chaotic shouts.

“Irene…!” Yeri cried, rubbing her hands on her arms at the sudden cold. She took off towards the cave and Joy urged Boko to follow, though the bird was reluctant to do so without Seulgi’s consent.

“Come on, Boko!” Seulgi cried as she sprinted after Yeri, and Boko needed no further encouragement.

They rounded the edge of the mouth of the cave and bore witness to a gruesome sight: bodies of soldiers bobbed in the shallow water, with large shards of… _ice_ jutting out of their chests, and ahead, Irene was surrounded, pivoting back and forth as she dodged and parried blow after blow. More soldiers charged down the gangplank from the ship and entered the foray, and then Seulgi saw the source of those large ice shards, as Irene twirled and flung more at the oncoming foes, like a fistful of knives. _Thunk thunk thunk_ , and their bodies joined the growing number of corpses in the sea.

But the dark-haired girl was still outnumbered and Yeri raced in to help, daggers drawn. Seulgi found herself splashing through the shallows after Yeri as well, and she pulled her sword from her belt, feeling its engraving dig into her palm as she adjusted her grip.

Yeri leapt and pounced on the back of a soldier, burying her blades in his shoulders and he screamed as he went down, but when it was Seulgi’s turn to raise her weapon, she hesitated.

These weren’t monsters from the Veldt.

These were _people_.

“Seulgi!” Joy shouted, barely loosing a bolt in time to fell a soldier who had been about to attack her. “If you’re not going to fight, get back here!”

Seulgi looked at the soldier whom Joy had just saved her from, watching the blood from his neck wound mix and wash away in the saltwater.

“Kill or be killed?” she whispered to herself with a dark laugh as she raised her eyes again to the group slowly closing in on Irene.

How many Imperial soldiers had her brother killed before they got him?

She raised her sword and charged in, bringing it down across the back of a soldier, and she was vaguely aware of how similarly the edge of her blade stuck in his severed ribcage the same as if she really were fighting some beast on the savanna. How familiar it was to have to push his bleeding corpse off of her sword with her sandaled foot.

“That’s for my brother,” she muttered down to the body as it gently bumped into her shin in the rippling water.

And with a _clang_ she barbarously brought the blade down against another soldier’s sword, knocking it out of his grip as he rushed at her. “ _This is for my brother!_ ” she shouted again, and she kicked him away from herself. He stumbled back into the water and she swung, pulling the sword across his face, tearing right through his cheekbones and nose. And she hit him again, and _again_ until the blood-saturated sea stained the legs of her trousers.

She hadn’t noticed that the rest of the fighting had stopped as she continued to mutilate the body of the soldier at her feet. Not until Irene came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her middle to pull her away.

“No! _NO!!!_ ” Seulgi yelled. “... no…” and she slipped out of Irene’s grasp and fell to her knees with a _splash_.

For several minutes after the battle, the only sounds in that littoral cave were the crashing of the waves and Seulgi’s wracking sobs.  

+++

 

Seulgi carefully helped Joy off of Boko’s back after she had convinced the chocobo to walk up the gangplank and onto the small ship. Joy had protested that she could walk, but the other girls had insisted she let Boko carry her at least these last few steps so she didn’t lose her footing and fall, possibly spraining her _other_ ankle.

Seulgi was quiet while the queen used her shoulders to brace herself and hobble over to lean against the mast. She gave Joy a small smile and glanced at Irene and Yeri as well.

“Uh, I guess this is it,” she said in a hoarse voice.

Yeri gave her a bracing pat on the shoulder. “Thanks for leading us out here, Seulgi. Oh, and uh... sorry about the whole stealing your chocobos thing,” she added with a cheeky grin. "Old habits and all."

Seulgi’s smile morphed into a wry smirk as she shrugged. “No harm… no _fowl_?”

Yeri looked at her in disgust.

Seulgi felt her morale rise a bit at that. She turned lastly to Irene, who was giving her an unreadable look, and Seulgi remembered the way she had slain several of those soldiers with… _ice_. If she didn’t know any better, she might have thought it was magic.

But that couldn’t be. Only the Empire was stupid enough to try and use forbidden magic, and even then, Seulgi thought those were mostly rumors used to explain Gestahl’s advanced technology.  

She wasn’t exactly sure what else it could have been, but she was sure she must have been mistaken about what she had seen. “Thanks for… stopping me,” she said quietly to the dark-haired girl.

Irene simply nodded, unsure of how else to respond to Seulgi’s breakdown. She had seen it happen to lots of her soldiers over the years, but it was never an emotion she could empathize with. Perhaps it was different when you were born to the horrors of war. When you were born _for_ it.

Seulgi nodded to herself and began walking back down the gangplank. “Come on, Boko. Let’s go home.” She hopped the last few feet into the water, trying not to look at the remaining bodies still bobbing around the hull of the ship, and instead turned her gaze to the mouth of the cave. Dusk had nearly turned to night, but they could camp on the beach and begin their trek back tomorrow.

“Kweh!”

Seulgi blinked and looked back up at the ship.

Boko hadn’t moved. He stood there next to Irene and tilted his head at Seulgi.

“Boko?”

“Kweh!!!”

“Quit messing around and let’s go!” she called up to him, but he stamped and scratched his talons against the deck.

Irene watched Boko in confusion, then carefully reached out to stroke his neck. “He doesn’t want to go,” she stated with curiosity.

“Say, Seulgi,” Yeri began as she leaned over the railing. “Have you ever thought about becoming a Returner~?”

“I think a few lessons from Irene could help you put that sword to good use,” Joy added as she limped over to stand beside the blonde.

Good use? “What, like revenge?” Seulgi asked with obvious distaste, mostly directed at herself.

Joy shook her head. “No, to protect those who are left.”

And Seulgi remembered what Yeri had said on the Veldt yesterday, how they had all felt the pains of loss, and how even their friends who had promised to meet them here had been ruthlessly murdered by the Empire.

To protect those who are left. Like her brother had wanted to do for their family. He knew the evils of the Empire and had wanted to fight back. Shouldn’t she honor his sacrifice and finish what he started?

She slowly walked back up the gangplank and was helped on board by Irene and Yeri.

“Now we’re talking!” Yeri said, slapping Seulgi on the back.

“Welcome to the Returners, Seulgi.”


	4. Overworld Theme

The four Returners - “Kweh!” - the _five_ Returners waited until hightide had come and gone and let the receding waters of lowtide pull their cutter out from the cave and into the open sea. Yeri was in her element, bossing Seulgi and Irene around on the deck while Joy sat at the helm, begrudgingly doing as the she was instructed.

“I forgot you used to be a smuggler,” the queen grumbled as she struggled to hold the ship steady while Irene and Seulgi tried to tie down an unruly boom.

“Tie it…! Just tie it to the- no, not like that!” Yeri barked and gestured at the waving sail. “Use a- you know what? It’s fine. Yup, just leave it like that. I don't care, as long as it doesn’t move,” she sighed as Seulgi finally lashed it in place.

Yeri looked up at Joy, who was finally able to relax a little as the ship stopped swerving around, and went back to her question. “It wasn’t a bad gig, I’ll admit. The old gang cut everything pretty evenly, and hey, I got to travel,” Yeri explained. She fell silent after that, feeling the rise and fall of the small ship’s hull on the rolling waves. She had never quite lost her sea legs, even after all this time. So much had happened since she had last set foot on a ship.

Seulgi, however, had never been sailing before, and as Joy tried to gently maneuver them around a swell, the rancher nearly lost her balance and tumbled into Irene who was leaning against the railing.

“Ah-!”

“I’m sorry!” Seulgi apologized as she attempted to regain her footing. She flailed around as she tried to reach past Irene to brace herself against the railing.

“Just be careful!” Irene admonished as she held Seulgi steady with a grip on her shoulders, and kicked the rancher's feet into a wider stance. “Bend your knees. A little more- yes.”

Seulgi did as she was told, letting her knees bend slightly with the rocking of the ship, instead of trying to stiffly brace herself against waves. She put her hands on Irene’s arms as the shorter girl kept a hold on her shoulders. “Oh, yeah, that’s much better,” Seulgi admitted with a little laugh. If the brim of her hat hadn’t been blocking her view as she stared down at her feet, Seulgi might have been able to glance up and see Irene’s faint smirk.

+++

 

_Dear mom and dad,_

_You’re probably wondering where I am-_

Seulgi crossed out the line and sat back in the deskchair of the captain’s cabin. Miraculously, there were two homing pigeons roosting in a special hutch built into the wall, used for communique to the Returners’ hideouts. Joy had explained to her that she was going to use one to send a message back to one of their bases, and that if Seulgi wanted to add a brief letter to her parents, she was welcome to.

But what could she possibly tell them after disappearing without a trace?

_I’m sorry I left so suddenly without telling you where I was going. A lot of things happened, and I ran into some Returners-_

She balled the piece of paper up and tossed it aside.

Irene side-stepped the litter as she walked over to the modest writing desk. “... Is this a bad time?” she asked.

Seulgi was surprised at the way Irene had come up behind her so soundlessly, but she shook her head and reached around her to pick up the piece of paper. She should probably find a better way to dispose of it than to just throw it on the floor of the ship that people died trying to rescue them in. "N-no, I'm just... no, it's not a bad time. What's up?"

As Seulgi sat back up she noticed Irene had the Imperial soldier’s sword she had been using, and Irene held it out to her.

“Joy thought I should… refine your technique a bit. And I agree.” There seemed to be more than just Seulgi’s swordsmanship skills that would need to be refined if she were going to be of any help to them in a fight, but Irene wasn’t exactly willing to go full drill sergeant on the poor girl.

But a two-hour practice session that concluded with Seulgi slumped against the railing of the deck, sweating profusely and trying to catch her breath suggested she may have pushed the ranch hand a _little_ too hard anyway.

You can take the girl out of the Imperial Army, but…

“Hold on!” Seulgi gasped as she stripped off her hat and let her head hang back. “Just… give me a minute… just a minute…” and after a few breaths, she looked up again and was a little perturbed to see a hint of a smirk on Irene’s face. She felt herself grin and she stuck her swordpoint into the deck to get some leverage as she pulled herself back up.

There was something about seeing Irene so pleased with herself that made Seulgi want to push further, like she wanted to try to prove something to the smaller girl, and maybe wipe that smile right off her face in the process.

“Okay,” Seulgi said, trying to banish the weariness from her limbs as she gripped her blade. “What’s next?”

“What’s _next_?” Irene asked, blinking at her. She had been sure Seulgi would be done after their little break. She wouldn’t be surprised if Seulgi would be sore for _days_ after such a workout.

But… “Alright ranch hand, let’s go through it all again, then.” If Seulgi wanted more, she’d give her more. “Downstroke! Cross guard! Hold it right there. What did I say about your wrist?” Seulgi was already winded again, not at all recovered from that brief respite, but she obediently adjusted her grip as she held the blade up in a block, parallel to the deck.

It had been a couple years since Irene had been promoted to her final station in the Imperial army, and generals rarely worked with new recruits - certainly not to train them, anyway. Everything she was trying to teach Seulgi came from the lessons from her own personal instructors, and she was doing her best to try to translate her fencing techniques for Seulgi’s longsword.

Without warning, Irene brought her sabre down hard against Seulgi’s sword, and there was a sharp _ring_ as steel met steel. Seulgi hadn’t even seen her draw her blade. “Good,” Irene said quietly, as Seulgi kept steady under her attack. “But now we’re going to go over ripostes,” she began. In a slow, deliberate motion, Irene reached out and carefully pulled the tip of Seulgi’s blade towards herself until it rested against the pale skin of her neck. “After you parry, keep your sword touching mine, as you bring it straight across to attack.”

Seulgi was reluctant to bring her blade anywhere _near_ her, especially as she watched Irene subtly lift her chin and swallow. Seulgi had woken up more than once during the night remembering the way she had cut straight through that soldier’s face as he lay there defenseless in a foot of water.   

Irene stepped away and fell into a profiled stance. “Cross guard!” she barked as she lunged, and Seulgi barely brought her sword up in time to block Irene’s powerful strike. The petite girl smiled faintly. “Good. And now…” she prompted, and Seulgi obediently, albeit slowly, pushed her sabre away once again and hovered the tip of her sword above Irene’s shoulder.

“Seulgi. Are you tired?” Irene asked, and Seulgi shook her head, even as she blinked the sweat out of her eyes. “Then focus,” Irene chided as she once again pushed Seulgi’s sword against her neck.

“You need to get used to the follow-through. An enemy isn’t going to stand still and wait for you to make up your mind.”

“But you’re not an enemy,” Seulgi mumbled in her own defense.

And Irene looked at her for a long, silent moment, feeling the cool tip of Seulgi’s sword against her skin.

 

_“Again!”_

_“Why are you pushing her so hard when she’s going to receive the treatment, too?” Heechul asked, watching the way Irene doggedly fell to one knee as she barely dodged her maestro’s blade. He had learned a lot from his first… failed experiment, and was much more confident with this new strain of the injection he had developed. “She’ll be the perfect match to the Witch: together they'll be Fire and Ice.”_

_The fencing maestro stepped back and evaluated his young pupil for openings, even as he answered. “I have been told to teach the Witch my art as well. The Emperor wants them both to be the perfect soldiers in every way- HA!” he shouted as he suddenly lunged at Irene. She parried and went for a riposte, but the maestro reversed the positions of their blades with a flick of his wrist, and he touched the tip of his sabre against her chest, right above her heart._

_Heechul knew the master swordsman didn’t believe in the Empire’s use of magic and had nothing but contempt for his work. But Heechul had his apprehensions with the maestro’s ethics as well, as he watched Irene begin to tear up in frustration._

_The instructor took her wrist in his hand and positioned her back in her parry from before. He put their sabres in a bind and made her angle her blade slightly more off to the side._

_“You need to commit to the defense first. Close your own openings, and_ then _you can worry about the attack,” he instructed, as he slid his blade along hers to demonstrate how he was more effectively blocked in this manner._

_“Protect yourself, Irene. That’s what’s most important.”_

_Heechul slowly crossed his arms. Maybe there was something he and the maestro could both agree on after all._

 

Irene finally took a step back and fell into her fencer’s stance, and Seulgi was suddenly sorry she had ever wished to wipe that smirk off of her face, because Irene’s expression was just as emotionless now as it had been back on the Veldt.

“Again!”

+++

 

_Dear mom and dad,_

_Please don’t worry about me. I am safe, and with friends. I have decided to join the Returners and we’re on our way to-_

“... by the way, where _are_ we heading?” Seulgi asked, looking over at Joy who was sprawled out on the one bed on the ship. They rest of them would be sleeping in the hammocks below deck with Boko, but the queen had decided to call rank and take the captain’s cabin for herself.

Joy pushed herself up on her elbows, glad to have some relief from her boredom. Inheriting one of the most technologically advanced kingdoms in the World of Balance meant there was never a shortage of things for her to tinker with or modify. But now the queen was stuck out here in the middle of the ocean without any form of distraction, and it made her fingers twitch. There was too much to think about, and the long silences that filled the hours of their journey were oppressive.

“We’re heading to Albrook,” Joy replied. “We’ll stow the ship at the port there, stock up on supplies, and then plan on how we’re going to infiltrate Vector.”

“Wait, we’re heading to Vector so _soon_?” Seulgi asked, turning in her seat. She had this impression that the Gestahlian capital was this massive military complex from the way her brother had described it to her. She knew that he had never seen it before, either, but as he was a part of the front lines of the resistance she felt she could trust him.

Joy gave her a small smile. “You’re new to our little rebellion, but trust me, this phase of the plan has been a long time in coming, and now that we have Irene-” but she cut herself off.

Seulgi simply nodded, misunderstanding Joy’s hesitation. Irene had proven herself to be quite formidable in a battle, but were they really going to try to bring down the Empire from inside its own walls… with just the four of them?

“Are we… going in _alone_?” Seulgi asked hesitatingly.

“And with whatever other strays we seem to keep picking up along the way,” she said with a wink before laying back down.

Seulgi looked back down at her letter to her parents. So they were on their way to Albrook, the southernmost city on the Southern Continent, and then they’d march inland to Vector. It seemed like she had joined up with the Returners just in time for the big climax, and she didn’t feel the least bit prepared for it. Her arms were still throbbing from the simple drills Irene had put her through.

_I have decided to join the Returners and we’re on our way to Albrook, and then on to Vector. We’re going to try to put a stop to all of this, and I hope you can understand why I need to help._

_There is so much more I want to tell you, but I’m not even sure that this letter will make it to you, so I will wait until I see you again. I love you._

_Always,_   
_Seulbear_

_PS: Boko is here with me too, so please don’t worry about him!_

Seulgi read over her brief note again, then carefully rolled it up into a small tube shape. “Thanks for waiting for me to finish. I felt like I had so much to say before, but when I sat down, I didn’t even know where to start,” she sighed, handing off the tiny paper scroll to Joy as the queen sat up again. She took it and wrapped it up inside of her own letter she had already composed.

She handed the bundle back to Seulgi. “You’re from Mobliz, I’m sure you know how homing pigeons work,” she said. “You can send it when you’re ready.”

Seulgi nodded dutifully as she went to the small hutch and peered in. The two pigeons blinked at her through the lattice doors, tilting their heads this way and that. Mobliz was such a remote village; the only way they received post was either by boat, or via these little pigeons. But she sincerely doubted these two knew their way to Mobliz directly.

“Where did you say the Returner’s base was?” she asked.

“It's not our base, really, it's just one of the hideouts." It was little more than a cache of supplies, and Joy bitterly recalled how they had been followed back to it in their flight from Doma and ambushed. "It's near Barren Falls, in the mountains between Doma and Mobliz. If… if anyone is still there, I told them to hand-deliver that message to your family.” It was the least they could do. But if no one was left… “But there’s always the possibility that-”

“I’m sure someone must still be…” Seulgi interrupted, but then paused and glanced away. “Someone _must_ have survived,” she ended quietly.

How strange.

Was she still clinging to a little bit of hope about her brother even now? She paused with her hand on the latch to the roost. Is that why she couldn’t bring herself to write the words themselves in her letter to her parents?

Joy frowned as she watched her, guessing her thoughts. She wanted to say that it was possible. Who could really know for sure? The three of them hadn’t exactly checked through every inch of the grounds at Castle Doma to confirm for themselves, but the conversations they had overheard from the Imperial soldiers as they took occupation had been pretty clear on that one point: every man, woman, and child had been murdered in one of the most cowardly, dishonorable sieges in history.

“We still have a job to do, Seulgi. We need you with us - we're going to need _all_ the help we can get - but only if you’ll actually be able to do the job. Basically what I’m saying is, will you be able to focus on the mission?” Joy didn’t mean to be so cold-hearted about it, but they were getting ready to go right into the heart of the Empire, and none of them could afford to be distracted. “You can always stay on the ship and… wait for us instead, if it’s too much for you,” she offered.

But Seulgi shook her head and opened the hutch. She slipped the rolled up papers inside the tube tied to one of the pigeon’s feet, and carefully took the bird into her hands. “No, I’m coming with you. I want to do what I can,” she said quietly, but firmly. “Everything else can wait until we’re finished.”

Joy gave Seulgi a nod of approval, and watched her exit the cabin. It was hard to not get attached to all of the little misfits they kept finding on their quest to stop Gestahl’s campaign, and Seulgi was no exception. If they somehow made it through all of this, she wondered if she wouldn’t be able to interest Seulgi in joining her Queen’s Guard. But she supposed she was getting a little ahead of herself.

Out on the deck, Seulgi watched the pigeon flap away until she couldn’t tell its form from the wisps of clouds drifting about on the horizon. Yeri came up to stand beside her, and Seulgi wondered if the blonde had anyone she would write to if she could. Joy hadn’t even asked the two other girls if they had wanted to include messages to go along with Seulgi’s, and it suddenly struck her as odd.

“You didn’t want to write to anyone?” she asked the shorter girl.

Yeri smiled as she looked out at the sea, watching the drifting clouds. “Nope!”

She had long since said her goodbyes.


	5. Kids Run Through the City

Seulgi leaned out over the railing as she saw the port of Albrook come into view. It was far larger than the small landing dock at Mobliz, and she could see a forest of masts gently waving back and forth in the relatively still waters.

Irene was watching too, there beside her, but with a slightly more critical eye than the country girl. She was carefully scanning each ship for markings or flags that could indicate if they were military _transport_ ships, or simply military _cargo_ ships. After all, Albrook was a vassal of the Empire, and she herself had deployed from this very harbor only months before.

Joy nudged Yeri who was standing beside her up at the helm. “They seem to be getting along well, hmm?” the redhead murmured conspiratorially.

Yeri raised an eyebrow, though she had a cheeky grin on her face. “Attachments are kind of dangerous in our line of work, though, don’t you think~?”

Joy narrowed her eyes at the blonde. “You can’t let me be happy for two seconds, can you?”

But Yeri actually laughed, because _she_ was kind of happy. Who could say what Albrook and the Southern Continent had in store for them - and the goddesses knew their luck had been pretty terrible so far - but she still felt this bizarre sense of righteousness in what they were trying to accomplish. Yeri knew Joy had a duty to her people, and a legacy that she toiled under, but as for herself? Yeri could do anything she wanted with her life. She was completely unfettered, but she had still somehow ended up right here, by Joy’s side, on a mission that could only have one of two possible outcomes: death or saving the world from the Empire. It made her feel like she had some purpose; that after all the trouble she had caused in her young life, maybe she could finally do something she could be proud of.

So yeah, she actually was kind of happy.

“What’s with that stupid look on your face?” Joy grumbled.

“Wow, now who won’t let whom be happy?” Yeri teased.

Joy couldn’t help being a little abrasive; there was just something about Yeri’s demeanor that brought it out of her. The blonde’s words seemed to be in conflict with her expressions, considering what Joy knew about her past - after all, if anyone knew about the dangers of getting attached, it was Yeri.

Joy looked back down at the two girls on the deck, who still stood side by side, but seemed to be in completely different worlds. Maybe she was looking into it too much.

“There are so many ships,” Selugi couldn't help remarking, though the statement wasn’t necessarily directed at Irene.

“Ocean fishing boats mostly,” Irene returned anyway, and Selugi’s wide-eyed wonder was reigned in by the note of suspicion in her voice.

“Mostly?” Selugi prompted with growing apprehension. She was suddenly reminded that she wasn't here as a tourist.

Irene's heavy gaze continued to sweep the port. “I see a couple of unmarked boats, too.” This was good, because their ship also flew no flags. But while she had been searching for frigates, she had spied something far more sinister that lay low in the water. “And the one over there on the long pier at the end. The large one with the green and red flags?”

An ironclad military cruiser.

Seulgi wasn't sure how she had missed it before, though perhaps its dull metal sides helped it blend into the rolling hills beyond the port.

“That looks like trouble.”

“It is,” Irene agreed darkly. She _knew_ how many soldiers it was designed to hold, and she _knew_ Gestahl had had more than one commissioned. She glanced down in thought, trying to recall the timeline of this campaign to see if she could guess what this ship was doing here by itself, and she noticed Seulgi’s white-knuckled grip on the railing.

“Relax,” she said tonelessly, unable to help it from sounding more like a command than a word of comfort. She reached over and pried Seulgi’s near hand off the railing. “Don’t tense up like that,” she said as forced Seulgi to shake out her wrist.

Despite how anxious she was beginning to feel, she couldn’t help smiling at how silly it looked and felt to have Irene of all people playing with her hand like that, but when the shorter girl glared up at her she quickly composed her expression.

“You need to stay loose and ready,” she explained, watching Seulgi’s smile fade.

Ah, of course.

“Do you always think about fighting?”

Irene dropped her wrist.

Seulgi knew it had been a stupid thing to say as soon as the words had left her mouth, but it was too late to take it back now.

“I-”

“Are you mocking me?” Irene asked darkly. What else should she be thinking about while they were on the Empire’s doorstep? This idiot was going to get herself killed the moment they dropped anchor at this rate.

“N-no I just-” With that look Irene was giving her, Seulgi wanted to pitch herself over the railing and right into the harbor.

Instead of waiting for Seulgi to try to blunder through an apology, Irene simply turned and headed towards the trapdoor to the stairs.

“Wait-! Ugh,” Seulgi sighed as she watched her disappear below deck.

+++

 

Yeri had noticed the strange way the two girls on the deck had ended whatever conversation they had been having, and she waited a moment before inconspicuously following Irene below deck. She spied the ex-general sitting on a barrel stroking Boko’s neck pensively as the chocobo roosted on the ground.

“Hey,” Yeri called out with a rare note of timidity in her voice.

Irene didn’t answer, though she didn’t seemed to mind Yeri joining her in petting Boko.

“We’re uh, going to need to come up with some sort of plan for getting supplies and our next move,” Yeri said, stating the obvious. She had lost the courage to ask Irene what she was feeling, now that she was faced with that intense gaze. What kind of answer could she even expect from the icy ex-general, though?

“I saw a warship,” Irene finally said. “There may be more soldiers in Albrook than we had hoped.” After subjugating Maranda, attacking South Figaro, and the genocide of Doma, Irene had thought most of Gestahl’s forces had been deployed, but the ironclad ship in the harbor gave her doubts.

She ran the numbers again, but supposed there were still several battalions that were unaccounted for. And every time the Empire claimed a new vassal, they only increased the size of their military through conscription.

“We could send Seulgi,” Yeri tried to gently suggest, still pondering her unasked questions. “She’s not a fugitive… yet, and she probably won’t be recognized by any soldiers. We can send her to-”

“No.”

“But-”

Irene scoffed. “Send _Seulgi_ alone into Albrook? Even if she isn’t stopped by soldiers, she’d probably just end up getting lost. That idiot is lucky she hasn’t fallen on her own sword yet. I can’t _believe_ you asked her to be a Returner. I-” but she paused when Yeri put a hand on her arm. The thief was giving her a stunned look, and with good reason. She hadn’t heard Irene string more than two sentences together since they had met, yet here she was on some bitter tirade about a country bumpkin they had just picked up.

“Is… everything alright between you two?” Yeri ventured, though as soon as she asked, she knew she had made a mistake. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I’m too young to die. Why don’t we go up and talk to Joy about what we should do?” Yeri rapidly suggested.

+++

 

After they had moored at the port, the four Returners finally came to the same conclusion that Yeri had already reached down in the hold. “So we’re in agreement, then,” Yeri said as she watched the soldiers criss-crossing the docks through the captain’s cabin window. “Seulgi will go by herself to buy the supplies, and then when it gets dark we’ll all sneak ashore.” Maybe it was the setting - the ship, the conspiratorial attitude, the wanted status - but Yeri was getting a little case of deja vu. “Don’t worry, guys, just follow my lead~”

“You mean Seulgi’s,” Joy remarked.

“After Seulgi gets back. I meant _tonight,_ ” the thief said with a little eyebrow waggle.

Joy struggled to respond after Yeri’s clarification, though the thief was oblivious to her plight.

Seulgi was trying to read over the list of supplies Joy had given her, but she could feel Irene’s hard gaze on her. She did her best to ignore it, but then suddenly Irene grabbed her by the belt and yanked her closer.

“Wha-”

And Irene relieved her of her longsword. “Yeri, give Seulgi one of your daggers. She can’t go into town with _this_ ,” she ordered, passing over the Imperial blade to the blonde.

Seulgi glanced between Irene’s fingers hooked around her belt, and the deft way the two shorter girls exchanged blades with a single-handed toss.  

Irene turned back to Seulgi and stuffed the dagger in the longsword’s place. “They’re standard issue,” Irene stated, referring to the longer blade. “You’d be stopped in an instant if an officer saw it.” And not for the first time did Seulgi wonder what kind of background Irene had to be so knowledgeable about the inner workings of the Gestahlian Imperial Army.

Perhaps she was a spy?

Satisfied, Irene finally released Seulgi and crossed her arms.

“Thanks,” Seulgi muttered, hoping that this somehow meant Irene wasn’t mad at her anymore for her slip earlier.

“Protect yourself, Seulgi. Even if they don’t stop you because they know you’re a Returner, they may still stop you because they’re soldiers, and you’re… well,” she paused.

“... a _girl_ ,” Joy supplied, pressing a coin purse into Seulgi’s hand. Irene nodded.

Seulgi rubbed her thumb along the pommel of Yeri's dagger as she listened to their final instructions. If her life and their safety didn’t hang in the balance, she might have said that they reminded her a bit of her mother.

“Okay, I guess I’m off,” she said with a wave as she left, but she stuck her head back in the door suddenly. “Oh, and uh… if something, you know, happens to me, you’ll uh… you’ll take care of Boko, right?” she asked awkwardly, glancing briefly at Irene in particular. And she thought for a moment she saw Irene’s cold, impassive stare take on a troubled mien.

“‘Course,” Yeri agreed, waving her on. The thief belatedly realized that all of their warnings and speculation had probably needlessly worried Seulgi to the point where she wasn’t sure she would be coming back alive. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, but Yeri felt that they had perhaps hyped up the drama a bit too much.

+++

 

Seulgi hadn’t realized how much she missed dry land until her knees buckled under her unexpectedly at the lack of rocking and undulation as she left the dock and stepped onto the cobblestoned streets of Albrook. It would have been a perfect day had she not been in an Imperial city: the sun rose high and the salt-sprayed air gave everything a brilliant shimmer that was putting her deceptively at ease. Irene’s secret fear of Seulgi getting lost wasn’t entirely unfounded, since she had never stepped foot in another village before, let alone a bustling port city.

And there were _lots_ of soldiers. Seulgi didn’t want to seem too conspicuous as she avoided them as they strolled by in twos and threes, but she found herself instinctively shying away from them as they stomped passed. She glanced at her list again and started looking for a shop. Any shop. In Mobliz there was only the one general store that carried a little bit of everything, but as Seulgi strolled down the pier - Cait Sith help her, she wasn’t even on the main street yet - she saw many specialty shops. A florist, an apothecary, an armory next to a blacksmith, an antiques shop, a tailor, there didn’t seem to be any theme or order to the stores, which was going to make finding each particular item on this list more of a task than she had first anticipated.

She rounded the corner of a tavern and headed into a shadow-drenched side street on her way towards the main part of the city, when she was suddenly stopped.

“Hey you!”

Seulgi’s breath froze in her lungs.

“It’s not ‘hey you’; you’ll _never_ get a girl like that. Try something like-” And Seulgi was suddenly grabbed by the elbow and spun around to face two soldiers who had come up behind her. “Hey _gorgeous_. Like that.”

“Oh, yeah I guess that sounds better,” the first soldier said with a slur. Now that Seulgi was facing them, she could smell the alcohol on their breath. She began to reach for the dagger on her belt, but the second soldier suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Hey now, don’t be like that. We just want to _talk_ ,” he said with a lascivious grin. He took her captured hand and put it in his own and shook it mockingly. “Christophe. _Private_ Christophe,” he clarified, as if the outdated notion of a man in uniform was supposed to impress her. Her brother had been a private in Doma’s army and he was _twice_ the man this sleaze was.

Her free hand balled up into a fist as she felt a curious rage building within her. It scared her a little. This new fear quickly overtook the more basal one of being cornered by two uncouth men, and she saw the pulpy face of the soldier she had mutilated back in that oceanic cave in her mind’s eye.

“Whoa, she looks angry!” the first soldier drawled.

“Why don’t you say something, cutie?” the second coaxed, undaunted.

But he suddenly collapsed under the weight of someone who had dropped straight on top of him.

“Why don’t _you_ ,” the figure said as they stood and caught the first soldier around the throat with a garrote, “mind your own _business_!” Seulgi saw that this newcomer was dressed all in dark shades of black and blue, and even their face was shrouded in a mask.

The first soldier gagged as he desperately scrapped at the thin wire with his fingers.

The second soldier, who had called himself Christophe, began to get up in a daze and Seulgi brought the hilt of Yeri’s dagger down on the back of his head in a fit of rage, knocking him unconscious.

The new figure finished the job on the first soldier and let him drop to the ground, lifeless.

“Thanks-” But suddenly Seulgi found herself being dragged further down the sidestreet by the masked figure. She wasn’t released until they had rounded the far side of the tavern and the figure threw her up against the brick wall.

“Uh…”

“Who are you?” the figure asked with a dangerous squint.

“I’m… uh, I’m Seulgi?” Seulgi stuttered, but the figure wasn’t satisfied. They quickly snatched the dagger from Seulgi’s belt and held it up in between them.

“Where did you get _this_?”

And now it was Seulgi’s turn to squint. “It’s mine,” she tried to lie.

“It’s _not_ yours,” the figure said threateningly.

“It’s my friend’s,” Seulgi tried again.

“Where is she?”

Seulgi blinked. She? Did this person know Yeri? “Why should I tell you?” At first she thought this mysterious figure had helped her out of the kindness of their heart, but she felt betrayed by her own naivety, as this stranger clearly had another motive.

“You got that dagger one of two ways: she either _gave_ it to you, or you _took_ it from her, and if it’s the latter...” the figure growled as they began reaching behind their back for something tucked into the sash around their waist.

“W-wait! Yeri gave it to me, okay? But who are you?”

The figure stood up straight, finally satisfied with Seulgi’s answer. “Who am I?” they repeated with a laugh. They tugged down their mask to reveal a pixie haircut and a cheeky grin that looked disturbingly familiar. A girl? “I’m Shadow, and I taught Yeri everything she knows!”

+++

 

“Countenanced Carbuncle, Seulgi! What took you so long?!” Joy cried as Seulgi opened the door to the captain’s cabin. Night had fallen before Seulgi had finally returned to the ship, and the small cabin was alight with half-melted candles in latticed iron lanterns. Irene watched Seulgi with concern, eyeing the rancher up and down for injuries, and Yeri held out her hand for her dagger.

“Oh, well I uh… it happened just like you said: I was cornered by a couple of soldiers, but then suddenly this girl, Shadow…” and Seulgi turned to look behind her, but the mysterious masked figure was gone.

Yeri narrowed her eyes. “A girl named Shadow?” she prompted with a dark expression.

“Y-yeah…”

Seulgi looked back out across the deck in the failing light in confusion. “That’s weird. I thought she was right behind me-”

And then three things happened all at once: the girl known as Shadow popped up in the middle of the cabin, she grabbed Yeri in a headlock, and the tip of a sabre was tucked underneath her chin forcing her head up at an uncomfortable angle.

“Wait!” Seulgi shouted at Irene, just as Yeri squawked in indignation.

“LET GO OF ME!” And Shadow very slowly let go of the struggling Yeri and put her hands up as Irene adjusted the angle of her sabre to keep her under threat.

Yeri twisted her neck this way and that after the assault. “Don’t tell me you’re _still_ going by Shadow?” she asked in annoyance. She wasn’t in a hurry to tell Irene to stand down after getting manhandled. “That's so juvenile.”

“You know her?” Irene asked dubiously, though she finally withdrew her blade. Seulgi waited on her answer as well.

Yeri crossed her arms and gave a satisfied smirk. “An old friend. So, I see you’ve met Seulgi?” And from the story Seulgi had begun to tell, it sounded like it was a good thing they ran into each other.   

“I was following her because I saw she had one of your daggers,” Shadow explained as she delicately felt beneath her chin for blood. “Speaking of juvenile, when are you going to get rid of those old things?” she continued, gesturing at Yeri’s blades.

“They're part of my trademark look as the world-famous Treasure Hunter, Kim Yerim! I can't just get rid of them; it's for branding purposes.”

“ _Branding_ -?!”

But before Shadow could finish her strangled cry, Joy cut in. “Well, now that we know she's not a soldier, how about some proper introductions, hmm?” she asked Yeri pointedly.

That seemed to bring Yeri back into the moment and she looked around at them all with a curious expression. “Oh yeah,” she agreed in an airy tone. “This is Joy, the Queen of Figaro,” and she paused waiting for Shadow's inevitable sputtering of surprise to subside, “and Seulgi from Mobliz, and-”

“And I'm Irene,” the ex-general interrupted.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at Irene. “Oh, I _know_ who you are,” she intoned with more than a little bluntness. “I only had to hang out in the saloon for half an hour to hear all about the way y-”

“And everyone, this is ‘Shadow’, also known as Hyelin from my old gang,” Yeri interrupted, finishing the introductions. She couldn’t keep her voice from sounding slightly alarmed, what with the deathly glare Irene was giving Shadow.

“Oh, so your _daggers_ are branding, but you won’t let me keep the name Shadow?” Hyelin snapped petulantly. “I have a professional image to maintain too, you know!” And Seulgi could start to see what Hyelin had meant when she said she had taught Yeri everything she knows.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Yeri followed up quickly. She wasn’t exactly prepared to take a trip down memory lane with Hyelin, but her words had given her the disorienting reminder that time still moved in Zozo, even if she wasn’t there to see it.

“Just the usual, until my ship got confiscated for contraband,” Hyelin replied with an easy shrug. “Which reminds me: they're searching all the ships that come into port, so you really shouldn't stick around.”

“Searching them for what?” Joy asked. She was also curious about what Hyelin had meant by ‘the usual’, but she supposed that would be another question for another day.

Hyelin indicated Irene with a nod.

The rest of the girls fell silent, and Seulgi waited for someone to fill her in.

No one did.

“We’re not going to be in Albrook long,” Joy said, shifting the subject. “We’re going to abandon the ship and make our way inland.”

Hyelin looked at Joy in shock, her expression clearly conveying that she thought the Queen of Figaro was insane. “Please tell me your _army’s_ coming in another ship,” she prompted sarcastically.

The redhead crossed her arms in annoyance. “Do I look like an idiot to you?”

And Yeri had to put her hand on Hyelin’s arm before the girl could impertinently answer that rhetorical question.

“We _know_ what we’re getting into, but with a small group, we might stand a chance sneaking into Vector and taking them down from the inside,” Joy explained with more than a little irritation in her voice.

“I don’t think you have any _idea_ what you’re in for,” Hyelin countered, and Irene watched her shrewdly. “They have checkpoints along every road and regular patrols - and I don’t just mean infantry. They’ve got Magitek Armors. _Lots_ of them.”

Joy had spent too many years perfecting her unimpressed expression to falter now, but inwardly she was beginning to doubt their ability to follow through on their plan. She had been so worried about devising a way to get to the Emperor once they reached Vector, that she hadn’t considered the possibility that they might not be able to actually  _get_  to the capital.

“What is it you do, again?” Seulgi asked in the heavy silence. She wasn’t sure if she could take Hyelin’s assessment of the situation at face value, and was hoping the girl was being hyperbolic.

Hyelin pulled up her hood and fixed her mask. “I’m a _ninja_!” she said in a playful manner that was entirely at odds with the serious atmosphere in the cabin.

“She’s a smuggler,” Yeri corrected, not sharing in Hyelin’s mirth.

“That’s my day job, anyway,” Hyelin admitted as she deflated a bit.

Seulgi wasn’t encouraged by Yeri’s pensive attitude.

“Well,” Hyelin began, “Since you won’t be able to get anywhere near Vector with the way it’s locked up these days, how about helping a girl out and taking me back to Zozo?”

Joy looked at her incredulously. “ _Us_ , help _you_?” she scoffed. She wasn’t feeling terribly magnanimous after all of the insults and insinuations.

Hyelin pouted beneath her mask. “Aw, come on! They took my ship! I’m basically stranded here, and if you’re not quick, you will be, too. Or worse,” she added with a quick glance at Irene.

Irene looked away and crossed her arms.

“I don’t care if you think we can do it or not. We’re _going_ to stop Gestahl. This has to end,” Joy growled.

Yeri looked between the two girls, conflicted. “I don’t think we’ll be able to take you back,” she said apologetically.

"And _I'm_  saying you're not going to be able to get in." But then Hyelin interrupted herself, folding her hands and tapping her lips with her fingers through her mask. “ _Unless_ …”

Joy raised an eyebrow.

“I mean if you can’t get there by land, and you obviously can’t get there by sea... why not try by _air_ ~?” she asked with a mischievous glint.


	6. Warriors of Light

“Oh, come on,” Hyelin teased, elbowing Yeri in the side. “You’re not going to tell me you haven’t always wanted to ride in an _airship_ before~?”

“An airship?” Irene asked cautiously. Even the Empire didn’t have something like that in their arsenal.

“There’s only one airship in the world,” Joy explained with undisguised disdain, “and it’s little more than a flying casino these days.”

What was an airship? A ship in the air? Seulgi had never heard of such a thing and was more than a little concerned that Hyelin was suggesting they ride in one. Even Boko couldn’t fly, and Seulgi was desperately hoping someone would suggest a more tried and true method for breaching the Southern Continent’s interior.

“Who do you know who has an airship?” Irene persisted, turning to Joy. It somehow made sense that an engineer like Joy would know all about it.

“I wouldn’t say I _know_ them,” Joy clarified. “I just know _of_ them. And I bet you do, too.” Irene raised an eyebrow at that.

“Does the name Moon Byuli ring any bells?” Yeri offered, and Seulgi was surprised to see a look of utter disgust cross Irene’s normally serious features.

“ _Captain_ Moonbyul is what she goes by these days, I believe,” Joy added, still very clearly unimpressed. “Your bright idea is to get _her_ to take us to Vector?”

Hyelin gave her a leveling look. “It’s better than _your_ idea of just marching in there and getting flayed at the first checkpoint.”

Yeri stepped in between them as the redhead stood up from the chair, using Seulgi for support. “Ladies, ladies, please!” the blonde pleaded. Yeri knew why Hyelin was so quick to think of Moonbyul: their old gang used to do regular business with the airship pilot to mutual advantage. The notorious gambler indulged in many vices and kept the smugglers busy, while also offering them a little extra space in her ship’s cargo hold in exchange for a discount.

“Does she still… have an arrangement with you guys?” Yeri asked.

Hyelin shrugged. “She doesn’t come around as often as she used to, but the boss will know more.”

The boss. The leader of their old gang. Yeri became lost in thought as a _different_ redhead was dug up from her memories.

“We’re not actually considering this, are we?” Irene asked Joy. They were already _here_ , in Albrook. They were so close…

But Joy turned to Seulgi. “What do you think?” the queen asked.

Seulgi pointed at herself. “What? _Me_? What do I think of what?”

Irene glared at Joy suspiciously.

“What do you think we should do? You don’t know Captain Moonbyul, and you don’t really know anything about Vector I’m guessing…?” She waited only for Seulgi’s nod of confirmation before continuing. “You don’t have any of the biases that we have with this whole situation, so I want to know what you think.”

“Military strategy from the chocobo rancher,” Seulgi thought she heard Irene mutter. She was beginning to have mixed feelings about Irene becoming more vocal since when they had first met.  

“A chocobo rancher?” Hyelin repeated in surprise, turning to Seulgi.

Yeri clapped a hand on Seulgi’s shoulder. “Listen, just because we’re asking for her opinion doesn’t mean we have to go along with it.”

That vote of confidence seemed to put everyone else at ease, except for Seulgi.

She shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. “I don’t know. It seems like trying to head straight into Vector might be too dangerous right now…” and she paused, trying to gauge the others’ reactions. “If we try to head inland, and realize it’s not going to work… and then come back and our ship’s been impounded…”

Hyelin was giving her very encouraging nods while Yeri was pensive. Irene simply crossed her arms as she waited for Seulgi to finish, probably crafting a counter-argument. Joy seemed to be the only one listening impassively.

“But you guys seem to know more about their battle plans,” Seulgi continued cautiously. “Can we… can we afford to wait to attack while we look for this captain?” Could they afford to let another siege of Doma happen?

“It _is_ a risk,” Joy admitted.

“You could say… it’s a _gamble_ ,” Hyelin added, unable to help herself. Joy’s fingers twitched, as if looking for her crossbow.

“There aren’t many cities left to protect,” Irene said darkly. As far as kingdoms were concerned, there was only Figaro left, and a few fringe city-states.

“We lost a lot of good people at Doma,” Joy began, “but there are still some other Returners out there. Our group is loosely affiliated and we try to attack the Empire on every side we can, so any push the Empire makes, I know Returners will be there with a response.” She paused as she mulled over Seulgi’s words. “But we were gathering for a final press on the capital. This was supposed to be _it_. We had all the tools and strategies laid out… and then the raid happened.”

Seulgi waited a moment then tentatively spoke up again. “Then why throw that all away by marching straight into the capital now? Shouldn’t we… I don’t know, try to regroup? Maybe we can come up with a better plan.”

It might not have been the most eloquent way of putting it, but now that Joy was presented with another option, she was starting to think that maybe they were being a little hasty. She glanced around the cabin and saw similarly doubtful expressions on the others’ faces. Except for Hyelin, who was rubbing her hands together eagerly.

“So, when do we leave~?”

+++

 

_Irene was surprised to see a little girl sitting on one of the chairs lined along the wall when she arrived to her fencing lesson. She gripped her sheath awkwardly as she froze in the doorway. The other young girl hadn't noticed her yet, and was staring down at her feet as she kicked them back and forth in thought. Irene had never seen her before; she didn't realize there even were other children in the barracks aside from herself. Was she the daughter of one of the officers? Regardless, this was the time for Irene's fencing lesson, so what in Odin's name was she doing here? Irene looked around for the maestro, but the room was otherwise empty._

_Irene froze up again as she saw the girl hop off the chair and skip towards her. She gave Irene a bright smile and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Wendy! I'm so happy to see another kid like me! I hope we can be friends!"_

_Wendy._

_The Empire's Witch._

_Irene stared down at her hand warily. To say she hadn't been curious about the rumors she had heard from the officers in the mess hall would be a lie, but she didn't know Gestahl's Witch was only a child like herself. In fact, Wendy looked like she might even be a few years younger than her. Irene finally put out her hand, and Wendy didn't hesitate to take it and give it a hearty shake._

_"What's your name?" the younger girl asked excitedly._

_"... Irene," she replied, fighting a smile that was beginning to form on her lips despite her apprehension._

_The talk amongst the older officers hadn't been kind, and Irene was a little nervous about being alone with someone who was rumored to be able to light things on fire with just a look._

_But this girl didn't look threatening at all._

_In fact Wendy’s demeanor was so far removed from the word ‘threatening’ that Irene was beginning to doubt the validity of those rumors. She was having this disarming effect on Irene that was entirely unfamiliar and frankly a little disorienting._

_"We're friends now, right?" Wendy pressed. "Oh, please say yes!"_

_Irene looked down at their hands again, seeing the way this little girl was holding Irene's in both of hers._

_She had never had a friend before._

_"... Yeah. We're friends."_

+++

 

Irene opened her eyes to the sound of waves lapping against the hull of the small cutter, and the gentle rocking of her hammock as it hung between the ship's wooden ribs.

She leaned up carefully and looked around at the other hammocks. She saw through the gloom that new girl they had picked up, Hyelin, was sleeping in a hammock above Yeri, tacked to the opposite wall of the ship. This meant Seulgi should be fast asleep beneath her own. She very carefully slid out of her hammock and climbed down using the worn footholds carved into the wood of the ship.

But as she hopped down to the ground, she saw that Seulgi's hammock was empty.

Irene's gaze searched for Boko in the darkness, and she thought she could make out the figure of the chocobo gently cooing as it roosted at the front of the hull, nestled between the barrels.

No Seulgi.

Was she up on the deck? Irene had been hoping to get some air herself, but now she reconsidered, not exactly in the mood to make polite conversation with the rancher. But after another moment she decided to head topside anyway, wondering why it suddenly mattered to her at all where Seulgi was, and whether or not she might have to talk to her.

The night air was chilly, as she pushed open the trapdoor and stepped up onto the deck. Irene could make out Joy up at the helm, though she seemed to be keeping watch more than making any course corrections. The ex-general's attention was drawn, however, to the sound of a sword slicing through the air.

Seulgi was up near the prow, repeating a four-stroke combination Irene had taught her: one-two-three-four, step-step-step- _lunge_. And then she would back up and start again.

"Hey," Joy whispered down to her.

Irene glanced back up at Joy and climbed the stairs up to join her at the helm. She gripped onto a length of rigging a few feet away from the redhead; it seemed like she was going to get pulled into a conversation whether she wanted it or not.

"Can't sleep?" Joy asked after a moment.

One-two-three-four, and then Seulgi paused as she wiped her arm across her forehead. She backed up to start again.

"No," Irene admitted, absently watching the eager trainee. "How much longer will you keep watch? I can stay if you want to rest."

Joy gave her a wane smile. "I might take you up on that, though it's really Yeri's turn next."

Irene shrugged. She was already awake and she could nudge the blonde when she got tired again.

Step-step-step- _lunge_.

"How long has she been like that?" Irene asked, nodding at Seulgi.

"About an hour now. We were talking for a while before that," Joy said leisurely.

"She should rest, too," Irene muttered.

Joy looked over at Irene curiously in the darkness. "I think she feels like she has a lot of catching up to do."

"She doesn't belong out here."

"Why not?" Joy asked with a note of surprise. "Doesn't she have just as much right to fight for her freedom as the rest of us?"

Irene was silent for a moment. The queen had a point, and Seulgi certainly had bravery and determination on her side, but if determination was all that it took to overthrow the Empire, this war would have ended long ago.

"I get it, you don't want to see her get killed. I feel the same," Joy reasoned.

Irene gave her a sidelong glance. She had seen many people die over the course of her career: soldiers who had become swept up in the rhetoric of the Empire and enlisted; bright-eyed young men who thought they were protecting their families too. She had seen them get cut down by the enemy - no, the _resistance_ \- over and over again. And death was death, whether it came for an Imperial soldier, or a country girl like Seulgi.

"Oh, right, sorry," Joy said in mild annoyance. "I forgot who I was talking to."

One-two-three-four. Irene let her gaze be pulled back to the rhythmic sound of Seulgi's footsteps. She was tired of it. She was tired of being assigned more officers, more platoons, only to see those under her command get struck down again and again. She didn't have anymore room in her heart for that kind of loss.

She was tired of making friends.

"Get some rest, Joy," Irene said.

"If you say so," the queen replied as she relinquished her post. "But Irene?"

Irene waited.

"I think we really need someone like her around. You know, to remind us why we're doing this."

Joy was right, Seulgi _was_ a reminder for Irene. A reminder of why she had lost her post, and a reminder of every cruel decision she had made before that.

How many other brothers had she condemned to death?

+++

 

When Seulgi finally decided to take a break, she was surprised to see that Irene had taken Joy's place up at the helm. Seulgi was the only person on the ship who lacked navigational skills and she felt guilty that each of the other girls always lost sleep taking their turns keeping them on course. The least she could do was try and make sure she'd be handy in a fight by practicing her technique whenever she had a chance.

She wondered if Irene had been watching her, and if she had any comments about her form. She stuck her sword back in her belt and shook out her wrists the way Irene had shown her so sternly the other day before heading back towards the helm.

Irene frowned a little as she saw Seulgi begin to walk over. She really didn't need any new friends, but they were trying to avoid the coastlines as much as possible, in case their unmarked ship drew any unwanted attention, which meant they were stuck out at open sea with only each other for company.

"Hey," Seulgi said as she climbed the steps.

Irene nodded at her curtly.

Seulgi hesitated a few feet away, shifting her weight with the rocking of the ship before speaking up. "I didn't notice how late it was, I didn't get a chance to say goodnight to Joy."

Irene glanced at her. "I’m sure she didn’t want to bother you while you were practicing,” she said. Seulgi making a particular case about saying goodnight to Joy was curious to Irene. Did she think because she was a commoner and Joy was a queen that it meant she was supposed to attend Joy? Seulgi and Irene had both met Joy in similar ways, out in the wilds instead of in the austere confines of a castle’s great hall, so Joy’s royal title had never left much of an impression on Irene, or at least, not in the classist way it seemed to have impressed Seulgi. The title of ‘queen’ was something Irene had seen in more of a functional capacity while they were making their plans to undermine the Empire, more than a delineation between the aristocracy of the World of Balance versus its peasant classes.

And speaking of classism… “We still have several days before we'll reach Zozo." And next to Zozo was one of the hubs of the upper echelons of society, the city of Jidoor, with it’s famous opera house.

Seulgi nodded, then gave a small laugh that caused Irene to raise her eyebrow involuntarily. "I've never ridden in an airship before."

"... Me neither."

"Really?" Seulgi asked. Irene seemed like the type who was proficient at just about everything; she was surprised to hear there was something out there that Irene wasn't experienced with.

"You sound surprised," Irene stated. "You heard Joy: there's only one airship in the world." Irene wondered how someone who seemed to know so little about the world could be so ready to throw herself into their mission. It was an innocence Joy seemed to think they needed, but which Irene found to be a handicap in their plans.

"Oh, right." Seulgi was silent for a beat. "I guess I was just hoping you might have some insight about flying."

Irene watched her for a moment, then let her gaze drift up to the star-strewn sky. "Flying, huh?"

Seulgi was about to add something to that, but when she looked back over at Irene and saw the way the shorter girl was gazing up at the stars, she lost her train of thought.

"When you switch between crown guard and cross guard, don't wave the point of your sword around so much," Irene absently instructed, without looking at Seulgi. "Keep it one smooth motion. You need to control the end of your blade just as much as the rest of it."

Seulgi smiled and stepped closer.

"There's a swordsman up there too, you know?" she said, pointing up at the sky. Irene glared at her, and Seulgi's smile widened. "But maybe you already knew that."

Irene debated within herself for a moment before answering. "... No, I didn't." It was true, she knew a thing or two about navigation, but she was only familiar with constellations that helped her orient towards the cardinal points.

Seulgi leaned in and pointed upwards, trying to show Irene exactly what she was looking at. Irene squinted and looked along Seulgi's outstretched arm.

"There, those three stars are his belt, and then there and there, those ones are his shoulders. It kind of makes this hourglass shape," Seulgi explained.

Irene willed herself to look where Seulgi was pointing, instead of at the taller girl's dimly lit features. Seulgi’s open expression, and the way she spoke without judgement... Irene was finding herself more interested in the way the stars were reflected in her eyes than in her explanation of their configurations.

But… "Why is he called the swordsman?" she asked quietly.

"Oh," Seulgi paused. She tried to remember the way her father had told the story, all those years ago when he had taken Seulgi and her brother out on a late night walk around their fields. "Well, he’s really called the Warrior of Light. There’s a story about how he and his four friends saved the world from fiends trying to control the elements," and she risked a glance at Irene, to see if she thought the story sounded silly, but to her surprise, Irene was watching her intently. She continued, “S-so the Warriors of Light went around and defeated them, one by one, and helped save the world together.”

Together. “So why is he up there by himself?” Irene asked. Where were his friends?

“Oh, uh, my father said it’s because he’s waiting until the world’s in trouble again, then he’ll go find the others and save everyone.” She remembered asking the same question back then.

And Seulgi was giving her that goofy smile again. Irene leaned away from her, and Seulgi realized how close she had been standing in her attempt to show Irene the constellation.

"You should get some rest," Irene said quietly, looking back out at the sea.

But Seulgi wasn't in a hurry. "I suppose..."

"Go," Irene ordered. Seulgi's smile was reminding her of something, or rather, of some _one_ , and she could feel herself beginning to get caught up in something that she couldn’t bare to face again.

Seulgi sighed and let her shoulders droop a bit. She began heading towards the stairs to the deck but paused and looked back, her expression dangerously wistful. "Goodnight, Irene."

Yes, Seulgi was a reminder to Irene. She reminded Irene of how she had lost her post, of all of the cruel decisions she had made throughout her career, and how easily innocence could be lost in this dangerous world of theirs.

But she heard herself say, in spite of her numerous misgivings, "Goodnight, Seulgi."


	7. The Slam Shuffle Gang

The summer was already beginning to slip into fall, and Seulgi supposed she shouldn’t have been so surprised to wake up to the sounds of a heavy rain pattering on the deck above. As she let herself linger in her hammock, she wondered if her parents ever received her short message. She wondered if her dad had finished threshing the gysahl greens. She wondered if they needed help shifting things around down in the cellar to prepare for the coming winter. She wondered if they knew about her brother, and if they had received any news about Doma.

She swung her legs carefully over the side of the hammock and slid out, making her way over towards Boko. The large chocobo gave a faint “kweh” when she hugged his face to her chest as he roosted.

“It’s raining, but do you want to get some fresh air?” Seulgi asked him. There wasn’t much exercise to be had on their small cutter, but she had been doing her best to try to walk him around the deck a few times per day.

The trapdoor opened as Seulgi was walking Boko back towards the stairs, and she saw a very wet Yeri poke her head in. “Seulgi, good you’re up. We’re here,” she said. She glanced at Boko and seemed to think for a moment. “Yeah, actually you should bring him along. Zozo is… kind of a place where you want to keep your valuables with you.”

Seulgi paused. She had thought to leave Boko safely on the ship, since Joy’s ankle had finally mended, but perhaps her naivety was at play again. She thought she had heard it said that Zozo was a bit of a rough neighborhood, but after spending all this time with Yeri, and meeting Hyelin, she had pushed those negative thoughts aside. They may be smugglers, but she knew their hearts were in the right place.  

Yeri could sense her apprehension and gave her a wink. “Just keep your swordarm free, hmm? It’s not called the Den of Thieves for nothing!”

“It’s too bad the weather isn’t cooperating,” Seulgi said, referring to the drizzle. She may have been able to spend a day on shore back in Albrook, but the rest of the Returners hadn’t so much as stepped foot on dry land since the Veldt, and for it to be raining on the first day that they made landfall was a little disheartening.

“Oh, no,” Yeri said, shaking her head with a faint grin.

“It’s always raining in Zozo.”

+++

 

After mooring their ship in the derelict port, the five girls and Boko made their way down the main thoroughfare of Zozo, and Seulgi quickly realized that every story she had ever heard about the place was true. The rain pulled the soot and smoke from the air and drenched the tall, empty buildings in the grime, and the dark, overcast sky gave the cityscape a washed out, monochromatic appearance. The narrow alleys that branched off from the main street were overrun with refuse: broken glass where panes had fallen from weathered windows and shattered against the cobblestone; rusted pipes that had broken away from their fastenings against the brick buildings; the carcasses of dead rats and other vermin, strewn here and there amongst upended trashcans and torn bags of rubbish. Everywhere the girls looked, the city seemed almost a caricature of itself in such a state of disuse and disrepair.

But Seulgi’s eyes were drawn to the various figures she saw huddled squatting in the shadows, their wanton grins and bloodshot eyes following their party as they passed. She was sure she saw the glint of steel in the diffuse overcast light.

“Stay close,” Joy whispered to her. “There’s no law or order in a place like this,” she warned.

“No law, but there’s definitely an _order_ ,” Hyelin corrected with a low murmur. She walked ahead of the rest with her hand tucked in the sash around her waist, clutching something.

Yeri grinned. “I hope you mean the Slam Shuffle Gang’s still on top,” she intoned.

“The Slam Shuffle-” Seulgi heard Irene breathe in shock on the other side of Boko.

Hyelin peered back at her through the gap in her mask. “Do you really think the boss would have it any other way?”

Boko clicked his beak, snapping at Seulgi’s drenched hat in agitation as they continued through the dreary city.

“Easy,” Irene and Seulgi both said at the same time. Their eyes met briefly, but Irene stepped ahead to walk with Joy, leaving Seulgi and the chocobo to trail behind.

“You’re not nervous about walking right into the Slam Shuffle Gang’s territory?” Irene asked the queen darkly. “You know they don’t just smuggle _cargo_.” A young, beautiful queen could fetch quite a price from the right buyer.

“Hey!” Hyelin protested. “I heard that! Those days are _way_ behind us, right Yeri?”

Yeri didn’t answer.

“I’m not worried,” Joy said placatingly. “What could they possibly do to me that the Empire wasn’t already planning on doing?”

That didn’t put Irene at ease in the least. “They’re likely playing to the highest bidder… and I don’t like our odds.”

“We’re just here to get some information. It’ll be a transaction just like anything else,” Joy tried to reason with her. “Once they tell us where the captain is, we’ll be on our merry way.”

Irene settled a hand on her sabre’s hilt anyway, as Hyelin finally led them to the entrance of a rundown factory.

Zozo had always been a free city, but once it was also a bustling port, as active as Albrook. Perhaps even moreso, as it was next to the affluent city of Jidoor, with all of its bored residents eager to find investments for their money. The advancements of steam and compression technology had seen the trading hub thrive like many others around the world, but the investing merchants had taken advantage of the lawlessness of Zozo and corruption ate at the city from the inside out.

Honest, and _mostly_ honest, tradesmen had pulled out one by one until all that was left was the opportunistic underbelly of the economy: Zozo’s organized crime rings. Irene still couldn’t believe everyone else was convinced that they were somehow safer _here_ than on the Southern Continent.

“We’re home~!” Hyelin said as she shoved aside one of the large metal doors. It squealed on its rusted runners as it slowly gave way with the ninja’s repeated effort.

Seulgi stepped up to help her and together they got the door open, but the interior of the factory seemed to be in the same state of disuse as its outside had indicated. Stripped down machines aligned in rows with rotting conveyor belts linking them were all that greeted the group. No lights, no people. Hyelin and Yeri didn’t seem deterred, however, as they calmly walked inside, leaving the rest to follow along apprehensively.

“ _This_ is the hideout of the notorious Slam Shuffle Gang?” Joy muttered, her blase attitude plain for the rest to see.

“The basement is a little more impressive,” Hyelin promised. “But I don’t think they’ll let an outsider like _you_ see it.”

Joy just rolled her eyes and flipped her wet hair back over her shoulder.

It was nice to be out of the rain, at least, though the faint sound of the pattering on the tin roof high above their heads did nothing to lessen the eerie feeling of the dark, empty building.

The two smugglers led them across the vacant factory floor to the overseer’s office where Seulgi could see lights shining inside. Hyelin gave a series of knocks, and after a pause, they could hear the sound of several latches being undone.

And the simple office door opened to reveal two unfriendly figures at the far end of the room: one was a girl with long, green hair hefting a wrench, while the other was girl with dirty blonde hair, seated at an old wooden desk with a tiny, white dog sitting in her lap. It began yipping and struggling in its owner’s arms at the sight of the new arrivals.

“Interceptor!” the woman at the desk chided the little dog. “So you’re finally back, Shadow-”

She paused, seeing that Hyelin wasn’t alone.

“Who are they?” the green-haired girl asked, twisting the large wrench in her gloved hands.

Hyelin encouraged the Returners to file in, first Joy, then Irene, and lastly Yeri while Seulgi elected to stay outside of the small office with Boko.

“Yeri?” the girl at the desk asked, squinting at the other blonde.

Yeri gave a shy wave. “H-hey guys. Long time no see.”

“Yeri!” the green-haired girl cried and set her wrench on the desk so she could pull Yeri into a hug.

“Oh- hi, Hani.”

Hani squeezed her and shook her back and forth. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, you know… around,” Yeri said vaguely, muffled against Hani’s clothing.

“How’s-?”

“Where’s the boss?” Yeri interrupted with a forced grin, pulling away to look around the room.

The girl at the desk was eyeing Irene. “I don’t know, why don’t you ask _her_?” she suggested loftily.

“The boss went to negotiate with the Empire,” Hani explained. “We heard about Albrook’s closed port after you had already left,” she added to Hyelin apologetically.

“We can’t do business like this,” the girl at the desk grumbled. “The Empire’s shutting down every market under their control to foreign traders. They have no _idea_ how much we moved, even for their own soldiers.” She sat up suddenly and waved a finger at Irene while the tiny Interceptor beginning to growl. “You go back there and tell Gestahl he can take his permits and shove them _right_ up his-”

“Elly, calm down,” Yeri admonished as she turned suddenly and shut the door to the office, leaving Seulgi out in the creepy factory alone with Boko.

“Yeah, she’s _why_ they’re closing the ports,” Hyelin added, unexpectedly coming to Irene’s defense. “They’re hunting her down. She’s got a bounty and everything.”

“The Empire wants her dead or alive.”

Elly, the woman at the desk, sat back and rubbed Interceptor’s ears contemplatively. “I guess they’re taking your slight at Doma pretty seriously,” she said after a moment.

Yeri shifted her weight uncomfortably. ‘Slight’ was a gross misrepresentation of what had happened. “They’re calling it treason.”

“What was I supposed to do?” Irene spat suddenly. She was tired of everyone talking about her like she wasn’t standing right there. “They poisoned everyone! _Everyone_! Even after I had explicitly ordered them to withdraw!” She slammed her fist against the wall in frustration, causing a piece of plaster to flake from the ceiling and shatter against the floor in a cloud of dust.

She forced herself to stop grinding her teeth and unclench her fist. Tension was dangerous, a weakness.

“Closing every port in the Empire to traders without permits seems like an extreme response, though,” Elly muttered, still a little skeptical.

“They’re afraid of her,” Joy said with a small smile at Irene, but the ex-general wasn’t ready to return it.

“Of what she knows?” Hyelin asked. A defected general would be a formidable enemy indeed for any military.

Joy shook her head. “Of what she can _do_ ,” the queen clarified.

But before she could explain anymore, there was a loud scratching sound at the office door.

Hani hefted her wrench warily as she stalked over.

“Wait,” Yeri said. “It’s probably just Seulgi.”

“There’s _another_ one of you?” Elly asked.

Yeri cracked the door open and confirmed it was Seulgi before swinging it open wide. “Yeah she’s out there with Boko.”

“Boko?”

“He’s a good boy,” Joy said with an affectionate smile towards the door.

Elly pinched the bridge of her nose. “Whoever he is, just come in already.”

“I don’t think you-” Hyelin began.

Elly held up a hand to her. “Whatever they’re after, I just want to get it over with, so hurry up.”

Yeri and Hyelin shrugged at Seulgi, so the rancher carefully guided Boko into the room.

“ _THAT’S A CHOCOBO!!!_ ” Elly shouted.

“I tried to tell you!”

“He’s so cute!”

“Kweh?!”

Interceptor was struggling to get out of Elly’s arms to sniff this new animal. “Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Elly groaned as she sunk back into her chair.

“S-sorry,” Seulgi apologized as she was unceremoniously pushed out of the way by Boko as he strutted over to Irene. He softly clicked his beak at her and she reached up and flattened the fluffy feathers on his head absently.

“I think he was scared of the noise,” Seulgi continued, eyeing the pieces of shattered plaster on the floor.

There was a brief moment of silence and Seulgi looked around at the group. “So did you ask them?”

Elly twitched an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to Yeri. “Ask us what?”

Yeri sighed, but Hyelin answered instead. “Do you know where Captain Moonbyul is?”

There was a groan from Hani, and Elly turned to face her. “I don’t want to hear that from _you_.”

“You’re only one step up from a lecherous old man yourself!” Hyelin added, pointing a finger accusingly at the green-haired girl.

“Oh yeah?” Hani challenged, tossing her wrench onto the desk with a loud clank. “I’ll show _you_ a lecherous old man…!” she cried as she advanced on Hyelin with her hands outstretched to choke the ninja.

“Children!” Elly called. “Hands up!”

And the Returners were surprised to see Hani retreat back to her former position, and she, Hyelin and even Yeri suddenly put their hands up in the air.

“Good. Now let the adults talk,” Elly said calmly. She turned back to Joy, who seemed to be the only composed person in their group.

“Why do you need to find her?” Elly asked.

“We need a ride,” Joy said with a faint smirk.

Elly’s skeptical expression returned. “A _ride_? From _her_?” When Joy shrugged, Elly added, “Good luck with that.”

“We just thought you guys might know where she is,” Yeri said as she slowly lowered her hands.

Elly was silent for a moment, but her eyes revealed little about what she might have been thinking. Eventually, she said, “She’s been laying low for a while, since the Empire has been so aggressive lately.”

Irene dared Elly to look at her, but Elly was a little more tactful than that.

“But it’s Moonbyul. How long could she possibly stand to keep out of trouble?” Hyelin asked hopefully.

“Not long,” Elly admitted as she reached into the breast pocket of her coat and pulled out an envelope.

“It’s like some kind of bizarre fate that you guys are looking for her,” she continued. “Because she just sent us these, hoping we’d want to go with her.”

She tossed the envelope on the table, and Joy warily reached out to retrieve it.

“... What are they?” the queen asked as she slowly opened the envelope.

Yeri tried to peer over the taller girl’s shoulder. “Are those… tickets to the _opera_?”

The opera? Seulgi wondered, eyes wide. She had this impression that this Captain Moonbyul was a bit of a bohemian rapscallion like Yeri and Hyelin, but perhaps she was wrong.

“How did she _get_ these?” Yeri asked. “These are box seats!”

Elly raised an eyebrow at the other blonde. “Are you really asking me that?” And Yeri supposed that was fair. Someone like Moonbyul had a lot of strings she could pull, even if the people on the other end of the line would never admit to such a connection.

“Wait there’s something else in here,” Joy muttered as she pulled out a card. “You are cordially invited to the wedding of-”

“ _CAPTAIN MOON BYULI AND PRIMA DONNA JUNG YERIN?!_ ” Yeri shrieked, still reading over Joy’s shoulder.

Joy winced and Elly leaned forward in her seat as if attempting to get a look at the invitation. “She’s going to pull some sort of stunt at the Opera House, so we decided it’d be best if we weren’t there. If you want to find her, that might be your best bet.”

Joy glowered at the tickets and card. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“You make it sound like the prima donna might not be a willing participant in the wedding,” Irene said in her matter-of-fact tone.

Elly shrugged. “Who knows, really, but Moonbyul does have a bit of a… _reputation_.” Hyelin snorted and rolled her eyes.

Irene was _well_ aware of that reputation; everyone who knew the name ‘Moonbyul’ was. That’s what made the idea of the captain settling down rather suspicious.

“You mean like, she’s going to kidnap her?” Seulgi asked from near the door.

Elly spread her hands. “You’re welcome to go find out… for a _price_.”

Joy immediately tossed the envelope back on the table. “We can’t afford opera tickets,” she said simply. Joy had plenty of disposable income, given her station, but this was an expense she wasn’t sure there was room for in their budget.

Elly sat back in her seat and scooped up the tiny Interceptor. “I didn’t say money, did I?” she asked the white ball of fluff.

“... Then what?” Joy asked warily.

She set Interceptor back down in her lap and eyed Joy levelly. “South Figaro is one of the only free ports left, and we have a _lot_ of shipments backed up thanks to the Empire,” she hinted.

Joy stared at her for a long moment, deliberating.

“We’re just asking you to look the other way,” Elly persuaded.

“ _Just_ cargo?” Joy asked in a low voice.

Elly held her gaze. “I can’t promise that.”

“Then forget it,” Joy said with a sigh as she broke eye contact.

“It’s not what you think, queeny,” Elly called over as Joy began to turn away. “It’s not trafficking.”

“They’re refugees.”

Joy paused.

“Who’s paying for their passage?”

“I don’t ask questions. I just deliver.”

“It’s pro bono,” Hani broke in.

Elly pursed her lips and glared at her. “Hey, we have a brand to protect. If it gets out that we’re ferrying people around for free, we’ll lose our status as the ‘bad guys’.”

Joy gave her a wry smile and scooped up the envelope. “Fine, it’s a deal. Bring as many of them to South Figaro as you get. I’ll give you a letter for the governor and explain everything.”

Elly reached out a hand to Hani and she gave her a high five.

“Looks like the Slam Shuffle Gang is back in business!”


	8. Troops March On

_“Come on, General. It’s already all set up, just say the word, and this whole thing will be over before the end of the day.” Irene was leaning on a wall of sandbags, looking out from the elevated terrace over the uniform rows of tents that stretched the length of their camp. The siege had been long and fruitless; for a kingdom that had sworn off steam technology, Castle Doma had so far proven to be impenetrable._

_But while she may be cold, Irene wasn’t heartless._

_She turned her icy stare on the Court Wizard as he came up behind her. “For the last time, we’re doing this_ my _way.”_

 _The Court Wizard made a derisive noise. “Your kill count is_ far _below the Witch’s. Don’t you think you have a little catching up to do~?” he taunted._

_She suddenly grabbed him by his ruffled collar, yanking him down to her level. “Don’t. Talk. About. Her.”_

_He pried her hands off his collar and straightened. “Sheesh, a little touchy, aren’t we?” He smoothed his outfit and cleared his throat. “Aren’t we the same, the three of us?” He gestured out at the exhausted soldiers as they went about their duties in twos and fours. “We’re so much_ more _than these rodents.”_

 _“She’s_ nothing _like you!” Irene growled, then took a breath, trying to calm her anger. He was always like this, always trying to find a way to get under her skin. He was too good at it._

 _“Oh, she’s_ exactly _like me, now!” And there was his whooping laugh that never failed to make her skin crawl. “… And you?” he continued to tease._

_Irene seethed as she glared up at him._

_“Why don’t you just accept your fate?” he cooed. “You’re a monster, just like me, and I think it’s time you started_ acting _like it,” he emphasized with a fist raised in the air. “I want to see that glacial exterior of yours break, Ice Princess.”_

_He snapped his fingers and one of the attending officers came up to them. “Yes, sir?”_

_“Give the order. Doma will be ours within 24 hours.”_

_Irene knocked the Court Wizard to the side with a sweep of her arm. “Stand down. You take orders from_ me, _not this clown.” She glared up at the Wizard and without breaking eye contact, she growled out her command: “Clear the camp. We’re pulling back to the Phantom Forest to wait for reinforcements.”_

_But the officer only shifted his weight and looked over at the Court Wizard, whose face split into a manic grin as he too continued to hold Irene’s gaze. “Why are you still here?" the Wizard lilted. "You heard me. Dump it in and get it over with! Uwee hee hee!”_

_“Yes, sir!”_

_Irene looked at the officer in shock as he trotted off. “What-?”_

_“Oh, perhaps I neglected to mention this before, but the Emperor noticed it was taking you an_ awfully _long time to resolve the little soiree here at Doma, so he decided to give_ me _command of this particular campaign~” And the Court Wizard reached into his silk shirt to pull out a royal decree, complete with the Emperor’s official seal._

 _He held it up so she could see it for herself, but the Court Wizard suddenly found himself with only_ half _of a royal decree in his hands, as Irene had sliced it in two with a single motion as she drew her sabre._

 _“Tell them to stand down,” she whispered as she rested the tip of her blade against the ruffles at the base of his neck. “Tell them. NOW. There are_ children _in that castle!”_

_“Oh, I would my dear general, but you see, nothing can beat the sweet music of hundreds of voices screaming in unison~!” And his eyes nearly disappeared in his mirthful expression as he put a gloved hand to his ear, as if anticipating the sound._

_But the sound Irene heard was the crunch of gravel behind her as two soldiers suddenly grabbed each of her arms and held her fast. “Release me! I order you to let me go!” she cried as they struggled to keep her still._

_The Court Wizard nodded at the soldiers. “Good timing, boys. You all saw it, didn’t you? This mad woman drew her sword on her superior!” Irene made to lunge at him at the word ‘superior’, but the soldiers were much larger and stronger than she._

_“Put her in detention, and keep her under watch. If she gives you any trouble,” he grinned gleefully, “you have my permission to knock some sense into her.”_

_And the soldiers carried her away while she screamed and thrashed in their grip._

_“LEETEUK…!!!”_

+++

 

“Irene?”

“What?”

“... Nothing,” Seulgi shyly declined, as they approached the large metal doors to exit the empty factory. She took her hat off of her head and wrung it out to cover up her awkward silence. Irene had clearly been lost in thought, and in a moment of misplaced bravery, Seulgi had thought to ask her about it. But the fencer was probably just thinking about tactics, or some other such militaristic endeavor.

That would be easier, anyway, right?

Seulgi may be inexperienced with all these nuanced political dealings in their world, but she felt like she at least understood people, and hadn’t missed the strangely delicate way the other Returners had been dancing around Irene. It was like they were afraid of breaking her, which was a thought that was at such odds with the impression Seulgi had of Irene that she could have laughed. And she probably would have, if it weren’t for the dark expression the smaller girl was wearing, as she walked along on the other side of Boko.

She pulled her still-sodden hat down on her head, and rested her hand on Boko’s back. She much preferred the expression Irene had been wearing when they were up at the helm of their ship, looking at the stars together.

She curled her fingers in hesitation, then carefully, slowly reached out for Irene’s hand where it, too, lay at rest on Boko’s soft feathers.

Their fingers brushed just as Yeri so thankfully interrupted her thoughts, and Seulgi retreated.

“Where’s Junghwa, anyway?” Yeri asked Hani as the green-haired girl escorted them back to their ship. “Is she stranded in some Imperial-controlled port, too?”

Hani rested the weight of her large wrench against her shoulder as they filed out of the factory and into the ubiquitous rain. “No, she’s up in the mountains of Narshe, training.”

“Training…?” Yeri asked dubiously. “In _Narshe_?” Narshe was a mining town situated up in the highest latitudes of the Northern Continent, and wasn’t exactly known for its gurus.

Hani shrugged and uselessly wiped rainwater from her brow. A reflex. “Business has been slow, so the Boss let her go when she asked. Are you going to sail down to Jidoor?” she asked, changing the subject. “It should be safe to dock there, since the Empire doesn’t want to cause a scene in the city with its most prominent investors.”

“We’ll be much safer there than here,” Joy agreed, watching the dark alleys as they passed on their way back to the harbor.

Yeri scoffed at Joy's caution. “No one’s going to try anything with us around. We’re top dog around here,” she boasted, and Joy gave her a look.

“We? Does that mean you’re coming back to the gang?” Hani asked. She reached over and gave the blonde’s purple bandanna a little tug.

Yeri scrunched up her face in a pout as she fixed her hair. “I’ll think about it. I’m kind of busy lately, if you couldn’t already tell.” But now that she had seen the turn the Slam Shuffle Gang had begun to take, she really was considering it. “Doing good deeds is kind of addicting, though. I feel like I’d miss it,” she added with a grin.

Hani made a nauseated noise. “You’ve changed.”

But she hadn’t. Not really, Hani knew. Yeri had just made better friends; these were her true colors.

“There’s always room in the Returners for more,” Joy posited, subtly limping as she caught up to them.

Hani smiled up at her with a shrewd expression. “I think the title of hero suits _you_ guys better than it would us.”

“Doesn’t quite bring in the ladies,” Yeri translated, enjoying the way Hani’s serious expression warped into wrathfulness as the green-haired girl caught her in a chokehold.

Yeri had missed them.

But her fond reminiscences were suddenly interrupted by a strange, high-pitched screech from Joy.

“What? What is it?” Seulgi said, freeing her sword from her belt. She saw Irene doing the same, quietly scanning their surroundings. Hani hefted her wrench in a sure grip, but it was Yeri who finally spotted the object of Joy’s distress.

Or rather, her intense delight.

“Joy, no…!” Yeri said in a frightened voice.

“Joy _yes_ ,” the queen replied willfully as she suddenly broke off from the group at a quick limp.

“Where is she going?” Seulgi asked as she began to lower her blade. She watched the redhead disappear inside a shop, it’s dilapidated storefront revealing little about its specialization. That is, until she noticed the gleam of something large and silver through its filmed glass display windows.

Yeri paled and raced after Joy. “Wait…!”

“What are they getting all worked up over?” Seulgi tried again, still not getting any answers. Hani shrugged, and Irene maintained a vigilance while they were stopped in the middle of the street.

There was a few moments of nothing but the sound of the drizzling rain _tap tapping_ on their hats and heads until from deep within the shop they heard a loud, mechanical roar.

 _Brrr… BRRRrrrr… BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!_ And the sound of shrill cackling from the Queen of Figaro.

“Oh,” Hani said, nonplussed.

Seulgi turned frightened eyes on the green-haired girl. “Oh?!” She glanced back and saw that even Irene had a wary look on her face as she stared apprehensively at the store.

Seulgi turned her gaze back on the shop just in time to see Joy emerge with a large piece of machinery in her hands. It was like a metal box with handles, and jutting out from it was a long, narrow attachment that looked like it had blades or spikes of some sort surrounding it…?

“What’s that?” Seulgi asked as she saw a mortified, and slightly irritated Yeri following behind her.

“It’s a _chainsaw_ ,” Joy answered in a manic tone of voice as she held the machine up high above her head gleefully.

_BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR….!!!!!!!!!!_

“How much did you spend on-”

_BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!_

“You know what? Forget I asked.”

+++

 

Hani helped them prepare to embark on their journey to Jidoor and then waited down on the docks for them to leave. It was barely a full day’s sail to the affluent city, and even then that was only because of a large cape blocking their path. The two townships were even closer by land.

“You don’t have any business to take care of down south?” Yeri asked.

Hani ruffled the younger girl’s hair. “No, Elly needs me here, especially now that Hyelin’s back,” she said with a grin.

“You know… after we find Captain Moonbyul, we’re going to head to Vector,” Yeri said hesitatingly.

“Say hello to the Boss for me, then, if you see her,” Hani replied nonchalantly.

Yeri was silent as the rest of the Returners filed up the gangplank. Hani reached out a hand again and gave Yeri’s purple bandanna one last tug.

“Hey, cheer up, kiddo. We’ll see each other again.”

Yeri looked up at her doubtfully. “You think so?” She had spent so many months running from her old life that she hadn’t quite realized how much she missed it until they had run into Hyelin.

“Probably,” the green-haired girl answered with a wink. After a moment, her playful expression fell. “If not, we’ll take care of Saeron for you, okay?”

Yeri closed her eyes briefly. “Thanks.”

“Try to have fun at the opera, hmm?” Hani added bracingly.

“... Yeah.”

Hani pulled her into one final hug and then pushed her towards the gangplank. She waved them off, and Yeri watched her from the deck until the port of Zozo was lost in the curtain of rain.

+++

 

Joy was busy playing with her new toy, and Yeri had insisted on taking a turn at the helm, so that left Irene and Seulgi to awkwardly make themselves busy about the ship. Irene wanted to help settle Boko down in the hold, but Seulgi seemed pretty content to take care of him by herself. Irene made to go topside when Seulgi suddenly called out to her.

“You haven’t flown before, but have you ever been to the opera?”

Irene paused with her boot on the bottom step leading up to the trapdoor, debating on how much of an answer she wanted to give. Did she really want to get pulled into another conversation with Seulgi? Did she want to hear another unexpectedly charming story from the ranch hand? She was giving this _way_ too much thought - energy that would be better spent preparing for landfall at Jidoor and the march to the Opera House on the peninsula.

“I’ve been invited, but I’ve never gone.” The Emperor used to have his own box at the Opera House. The fact that he may still have one had crossed her mind, and she was beginning to formulate an assassination attempt accordingly, but as far as having ever wanted to go see an opera for herself? She had never seen the point.

Aside from the occasional war epic, most of the stories told under that baroque roof were things she would never be able to relate to: tales of love and passion, quests of righteousness and the valiance of humanity. Things that had been ground out of her through years of military drills, brutal campaigns, and the bitter climb to the top of the Imperial Army’s ranks.

“That’s more than me,” Seulgi admitted, and Irene pinched the bridge of her nose, realizing she had been brooding again.

“Mobliz is very far away from Jidoor,” Irene said in a rare attempt to be conversational. The two locations were literally on opposite sides of the Northern Continent from each other. She realized after a moment that perhaps that wasn’t the easiest thing for someone like Seulgi to think about just now, but Seulgi surprised her by smiling.

“It really is. I never thought in a million _years_ I’d come all the way out here. And you too, huh, Boko?”

“Kweh.”

“He really likes you, you know?” Seulgi added as she watched the big yellow bird affectionately.

“And why shouldn’t he?” Irene asked suspiciously. She wasn’t mean to him, and Shiva knew they had been spending enough time together recently.

Seulgi laughed. “I don’t know, it’s just nice I guess. I like to think he’s a pretty good judge of character,” Seulgi said with a glance back at Irene. And Irene wasn’t sure she appreciated that smile Seulgi was giving her.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Irene grumbled. “It’s a bird.” And despite her better judgement she came up beside Seulgi and let Boko gently headbutt her outstretched hand.

“I don’t know,” Seulgi lilted. “He’s pretty smart. I bet he’d like to see an opera, huh, big guy?”

“Not dressed like that,” Irene scoffed quietly.

Seulgi looked over at Irene in surprise, but quickly tried to hide it behind a cough. Did… Irene just make a _joke_? But she took that moment to look down at her own work clothes that she’d been wearing now for the past couple weeks and despaired.

“I’m not sure I’ll pass either,” she said forlornly. “You look nice, of course, but I don’t think they’ll let me in like this.” And Seulgi wiggled her toes through her worn sandals.

Irene did her best to ignore the compliment. She was really only dressed in the form-fitting clothes she usually wore under her uniform: the long forest-green coat of an Imperial General with all of its medals and pins denoting her victories and accomplishments.

It was now at the bottom of Barren Falls.

“I’m sure Joy’s already considered stopping in Jidoor to do a little shopping before we head to the Opera House,” Irene quietly complained. This detour was becoming quite troublesome.

And Seulgi laughed again. “Shopping in Jidoor for clothes to wear at the opera. Me. Kang Seulgi.” In what reality…

And Irene felt the hint of a smile finally pull at her features. There was something annoyingly charming about Seulgi, and it wasn’t just her quaint country girl mannerisms. Where Irene met every obstacle on their journey with brute force, Seulgi just seemed to be willing to go along with all of their strange plans, no matter which direction they took. Either she was very careless, or entirely too trusting.

Or both.

But Irene was starting to feel like maybe Joy had been right about her after all. Maybe they _did_ need someone like Seulgi around. A little twinkle of starlight in her midnight sky.

Irene frowned.

How stupid.


	9. The Gold Saucer

The cityscape of Jidoor was aglow with the light from hundreds of streetlamps and open windows in tall townhouses as the four Returners finally alighted on the docks. Yeri put out a hand and caught Seulgi as she almost misstepped into the water, staring around them in wonder.

“It’s so…”

The way the dark trees planted in the sidewalks of the wide avenues were thrown into silhouette against the shine of lively outdoor cafes; the sounds of laughter and busking musicians mixing with the clatter of carriage wheels and chocobo talons against the cobblestone streets overwhelmed her with this romantic feeling - a fluttering, nervous energy - as they climbed the steps up from the docks.

As Irene carefully surveyed their surroundings, she couldn’t help noticing Seulgi’s face-scrunching smile, and she bit back a comment about how indulgent the scene appeared to her. She may not be able to appreciate the view in the same enchanted way that Seulgi did, but that didn’t mean she had to spoil the mood. But when Seulgi turned that goofy grin her way, she was struck with the thought that perhaps this detour wasn’t quite so troublesome after all.

Seulgi’s joy was short-lived, however, as the queen spoke up: “First, you’re going to have to lose the hat, farm girl.”

Seulgi pulled the brim of her wide, soft hat down over her ears. “What? What’s wrong with my hat?” she protested.

“Nothing’s… _wrong_ with it,” Joy backtracked a little, seeing how she seemed to have mortally offended the rancher. “It’s just that… operas are kind of a dressy affair. Even I’m going to have to find something a little classier to wear,” she added with a gesture at her breastplate.

“Is a clothing store even going to be open this late?” Seulgi asked. She hadn’t checked the clock in their ship’s cabin before coming ashore, but Jidoor’s nightlife seemed to be well underway.

“Seulgi, my dear~” Joy intoned haughtily. “We’re not going to a _store_. We’re going to a _tailor_. And you seem to have forgotten that I’m the Queen of Figaro. In a place like Jidoor, a store is open if I _say_ it’s open~”

Yeri rolled her eyes so hard, she nearly lost her balance. “Although, I suppose I _am_ wondering what someone like Irene might look like in a dress.”

“Keep wondering. I’m not wearing a dress. What if we have to fight?” the ex-general asked, shutting the blonde down in her emotionless tone.

“That’s a shame,” Seulgi heard herself say before she could stop herself. “U-uh so does that mean suits?” she added hastily to Joy.

Yeri smirked while Irene raised an eyebrow.

Joy tapped her lips in thought. “... I suppose suits could work.” She looked Seulgi up and down for a moment. “Yeah… just maybe.”

+++

 

Seulgi had never been fitted for a suit before. In fact, she had never been fitted for anything outside of the comfort of her own rural home, so to awkwardly stand there and have attendants circle her with measuring tape while the Queen of Figaro discussed fabrics with the designer was proving to be a rather surreal experience.

“How quickly can you have these made up?” Joy asked the owner as she finished making her selections.

“Well, your Highness, you’re ordering for four, and between the refittings, and the lateness of the hour…”

Joy raised an eyebrow and took out her coin purse. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Here’s an advance. We need them by the end of the day tomorrow- wait not _that_ one,” she suddenly said as she plucked a coin out of the purse she had passed over to the proprietor.

She pocketed it and turned to Seulgi. “How are you doing over there?” she asked with a wry grin.

“Fine…?” Seulgi half-asked, half-answered. The tailors finally left her alone to write down her measurements and begin sewing.

“Good. Well, we have some time to kill while they work. Do you want to get something to eat?”

“Eat?”

“You know, something other than the stale sailor’s rations on the ship?” Joy said with a small smile. If she was already going to be spending this much money on new clothes for everyone, she might as well treat the rancher to a late dinner. After all, it was Seulgi’s first, and possibly _only_ night she would ever get to spend in Jidoor.

Much to the clothier’s dismay, Joy plucked a few more coins out of the purse she had handed him and tossed them to Seulgi. “Why don’t you see if you can find Irene and go get something to eat while we wait?”

“Oh, alright. Where’s Yeri?” Seulgi asked innocently.

Joy’s grin widened. “Don’t worry about her; you two go on ahead.”

Seulgi blinked at her but eventually shrugged and stepped down from the stool she had been standing on. She reached out for her hat which Joy had made her leave on the counter, but the queen caught Seulgi by the wrist.

“Leave it.”

“But-”

“Seulgi, just trust me on this,” Joy ordered as she fluffed out Seulgi’s hair and fixed her long bangs.

Seulgi pouted in such a childlike manner that Joy almost wavered on her edict, but the poor hat had just about seen its last from their prolonged journey. Joy made a mental note to get the country girl a new one before they left Jidoor.

“Now go. I think I saw Irene next door at the candlemaker.”

+++

 

Irene had her nose in a candle when Seulgi suddenly appeared behind her. Caught in a rare moment of flatfootedness, she quickly replaced the large candle on its shelf and eyed Seulgi warily.

“Wh- ...Are you done with your fitting?” she asked, and Seulgi noted how she sounded startled.

She decided against pointing it out. “Yeah…” Seulgi glanced around the shop. It was full of decorative candles, some carved ornately, many in various colors, and in a variety of scents. Given Irene’s utilitarian attitude about most things, Seulgi was frankly surprised to see her in here. When Joy had said ‘candlemaker’, Seulgi had imagined the more rustic vats of wax with tallows hanging in spartan rows to dry, a far cry from this artisanal shop. “It smells nice in here,” she added.

Irene glanced at the candle she had been smelling and then back at Seulgi. “Where are the others?” she asked, unwilling to add to Seulgi’s comment.

“Oh, uh, Joy said to go on ahead without them,” Seulgi explained, suddenly feeling a little shy. “She said we should find something to eat.”

“Just the two of us?” Irene asked suspiciously.

Seulgi shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.” Seulgi had been the last to go in for her fitting and hadn’t realized the others weren’t going to wait around for her. “Are you ready to go?” she asked.

That skeptical look hadn’t left Irene’s features, but she cautiously nodded. “Yeah, let’s go…” What exactly was Joy up to? It was dangerous to split up in an independent city like Jidoor, a place where loyalties could shift on a bored whim.

Seulgi followed Irene back out of the shop and they walked down the boulevard. She almost immediately began to trail behind as she was once again struck by the quiet, yet fevered energy of Jidoor’s nightlife. As they passed one of the many busy cafes, she saw men standing around a table in coattailed suits laughing as they waved their wide bourbon snifters, while women spoke to each other conspiratorially behind lace fans. Even though the scene made her feel wildly out of place, she couldn't help smiling, seeing how everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Everyone except for one ex-Imperial General Bae Irene, that was. Irene waited for Seulgi to catch up, then fell into step with her as they continued on, and Seulgi genuinely wondered how she could remain so impassive in such a festive atmosphere. She was about to make some small comment to that effect when Irene grabbed her arm and pulled her up onto the sidewalk as a barouche and its cheering occupants raced past, pulled along by a pair of chocobos.

While it was clear to Irene that Seulgi’s wide-eyed enjoyment of Jidoor was likely going to end with the ranch hand trampled in the gutter, she didn't have the heart to scold her. Not when Seulgi turned that smile her way and thanked her for the timely rescue.

And maybe all the lights and activity were having an effect on her, too, because Irene didn't release Seulgi's arm again for several blocks.

Though Joy had instructed them to find something to eat, Irene seemed to be walking them back towards the water, and Seulgi was quiet as she was led along. They could see the pier stretch out along the shore away from them, the glow from its lines of shops reflecting in the black water of the harbor.

Irene finally released her and Seulgi couldn’t help but notice the immediate loss of warmth. There were couples here and there, strolling along the waterfront: a man carrying his top hat in the crook of his arm while his lady companion smacked his arm with her folded fan, giggling; another woman playfully taking the monocle from her friend and wearing it in a mocking imitation, but Seulgi quickly turned away, sensing the mood between those two become suddenly serious. She laughed quietly to herself, marveling at how leisurely everyone in this city seemed.

But Irene saw through it. Sure, there were people in Jidoor who were genuinely searching for a bit of happiness in these war-torn times, but she had seen the other side of these kinds of engagements far too often to believe in their innocence. A cocktail party was rarely simply that; it was more often a carefully calculated meeting between parties who needed to build rapport for social or political gain. These flirting couples were likely nothing more than scandalous liaisons between parties already betrothed or married off for familial alliances, and if the affair got out, it would become a black mark on one of their illustrious houses. The numerous functions she had been forced to appear at, in attendance to the Emperor of Gestahl had taught her as much.

She wished she could see the world through Seulgi’s eyes, as she leaned with her back on the railing of the pier, watching the younger girl. She could guess what Seulgi thought of all of these people, as evidenced by her shy, innocent laugh, but she wanted to hear it. She wanted a brief reprieve from her own negative thoughts.

“What do you think?” she asked quietly.

Seulgi’s smile wavered as she looked over at Irene, relaxed, yet poised against the backdrop of the warf and its shimmer of lights.

“It’s… like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she replied.

Irene squinted at her, already feeling the hint of a smile tug at her lips. “Explain.”

Seulgi looked away and blinked. This city and its atmosphere was putting her in a strange mood. Since when had she been so shy and self-conscious? But she already knew the answer to that: it was when she had realized that Irene looked prettiest to her in low lighting, in the quiet of a late night.

Irene was waiting for her to describe what she felt about the city of Jidoor, so she tried to focus her attention back to the feverish feeling of excitement she had experienced before, back on boulevard, instead of this new, _different_ kind of nervousness that was blooming in her chest.

“Everything just feels so carefree here,” she began. It was such a stark contrast to the dreariness of Zozo and the martial attitude of Albrook. “Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and it’s all so bright and… beautiful.” She risked a glance at Irene and saw that the dark-haired girl was giving her a small smile, in wry amusement. So what if Irene thought she was being naive? If it made her smile…

“Mobliz is a rural community; lots of farms and tradespeople. Everything shuts down pretty early there, but here?” Seulgi said with a sweeping gesture as she backed up.

“Seulgi, watch out-!” Irene called, darting forward to grab at her, but it was too late.

Seulgi backed into a richly dressed gentleman and knocked him to the ground.

“I’m so sorry!” she immediately apologized, as she reached out to help him up.

But he smacked her hand away. “Don’t touch me, you filthy cur!” he growled. “How dare you! A street urchin like yourself!” he sneered, eyeing her work clothes. “The nerve!” And Seulgi thought she could detect the smell of alcohol on his breath as he huffed and stood up. He raised a hand as if he were going to strike her. “Know your place, peasant!”

“Hey!” Irene shouted at him as she placed herself in front of Seulgi. “You want someone to fight, why don’t you try me?”

He eyed her hand upon the hilt of her sabre and sized her up. “Pff, if that is your wish, little girl,” he drawled as he drew a thin rapier. “I’ll take great pleasure teaching you waifs a lesson! Engarde!”

And the richly dressed gentleman found himself lying in the street once again, but this time with the tip of Irene’s sabre hovering just in front of his nose. “Now which one of us belongs in the street?” she asked him quietly as he stared up at her, red with indignation. Seulgi carefully reached out to pull Irene away. They had already gained the attention of many passersby and she knew they were be trying to keep a relatively low profile.

“I-I think he gets the point. We should go…”

Irene glanced around and quickly sheathed her blade. “You’re right. Let’s get back to the ship,” she muttered.

Seulgi wasn’t sure what had startled her more about the encounter: the sudden breaking of the illusion she had created in her mind about this city and its denizens, or Irene’s flash of temper and brashness in her defense.

+++

 

Joy fingered the coin she had retrieved from the clothier, feeling the press of its embossed sides through her gloves. She would have been more than a little angry at herself for accidentally spending it.

After looking around, she spied Yeri coming out of a bakery down the street with an armful of goods, and her hurried gait put the queen ill at ease. The world-famous ‘treasure hunter’ gave her a frantic smile as she ran past, and Joy found herself obliged to follow.

The two ran down the boulevard for several blocks until Yeri finally ducked down a quiet alley and paused against the side of a stone townhouse. She laughed as Joy caught up and passed her a baguette.

“You know we could have _bought_ these,” Joy growled as she grumpily accepted the loaf. “And I swear if you say ‘old habits’...” she warned as she tore off a hunk and angrily bit into it.

“What’s the fun in paying for it?” Yeri teased cheekily. Seeing her old gang again might have tempted her back into her old ways, but there were layers to Yeri’s train of thought. “Besides, do you think a store _here_ will really miss a few sales?”

“The store owners aren’t the ones whom you should focus those kinds of attentions on,” Joy lectured around a mouthful of bread. “They’re not as well off as their _patrons_. And besides, we shouldn’t be going out of our way to make enemies in a neutral city. Save that for when we reach Vector.”

“I wouldn’t touch bread from a bakery in Vector,” Yeri scoffed in disgust as she partook of her stolen goods. “I can only imagine what they feed people there to make them that awful and cruel,” she continued, all hints of her mischievousness attitude gone.

“Irene’s from there,” Joy reminded her. “And that Commander Jung isn’t so bad,” she recalled to herself as she chewed thoughtfully.

“Irene’s different,” Yeri protested. “She didn’t know any better - she’d been in their military since she was a kid!”

“You’re awfully selective in your forgiveness,” Joy noted.

Yeri regarded her grumpily as she ate.

“I think the people of Maranda probably have a few choice words for her,” Joy continued. “A lot of people in the Empire are just doing what they’re told, you know. Many of them probably aren’t even aware of all the horrible things their commanders are up to.”

“You’re not going to try to humanize them to _me_ ,” Yeri broke in darkly. She offered the last roll to Joy, suddenly losing her appetite.

Joy accepted it, but didn’t eat. “But they _are_ just people, Yeri. You can’t let this keep eating away at you. I said I’d help you get your revenge, but after that? We need to think about how we’re going to _end_ this war. Think about Doma. Is that what you want to happen to Vector?”

Yeri couldn’t tell if she was talking to her friend, or to the Queen of Figaro, and it was frustrating her. Vector was more than just the iron ziggurat of the Emperor; it was a sprawling metropolis with hundreds of thousands of normal people living there, too. She knew that. She _knew_ that.

“ _Cait Sith_ , Joy! Of _course_ I don’t want that! Ugh!” she growled as she pounded her fist against the stone wall. “But I don’t care how nice you think those other officers are. You’re _not_ going to stop me when we reach the fortress.” It wasn’t a request.

Joy passed the last roll back and Yeri took it before she realized what she was doing.

“Come on, let’s take a walk.”

It seemed that they both needed to clear their thoughts.

As they strolled along the sidewalk with its trees planted at measured intervals and it’s buggies and carriages parked in front of the opulent residences, Yeri felt herself begin to relax. The scene was so hyperbolic and foreign, and it drew her thoughts back to their impending attendance at the opera. She had been to the Opera House down on the peninsula before, but she had never attended a show there. She guessed it would make her feel much like she did now: out of place to the point that it made her laugh with the absurdity of it. How could people stand to _live_ like this?

Joy noticed that Yeri was suddenly chuckling to herself and she creased her brow in apprehension. When Yeri laughed, trouble was usually soon to follow.

“What’s so funny?” she asked cautiously.

“Just this,” Yeri said with a vague wave of her hand at the street. “How long have we known each other? Two or three years?” A long time for a rebel group to survive in the face of opposition as ruthless as the Empire. “You fit in so naturally here, but me?” She did best in the shadows and on the road, not in the public sphere like Joy.

“I mean look,” Yeri said as she walked ahead of queen, gesturing at the tall buildings with their decorative facades and balconies overlooking the street. “Can you imagine trying to live in such a stuffy place like this?”

Joy could very easily imagine it.

The Kingdom of Figaro was much more spartan than a place like Jidoor, but Joy did have a certain lifestyle she was obliged to maintain, especially to keep her family’s honor intact.

But she was glad that Yeri was at least smiling again, even if it was in mockery of the aristocracy she belonged to.

“Do you know how we spent our free time in Zozo?” the blonde continued. “Dice. Or cards. Or starting fights in the bars. But here?” She gestured at a long line of posters for the Opera House that papered a stone wall.

“They go to the _opera_ ,” she said snidely. “The Dream Oath,” she read aloud from the advertisement. “Starring Prima Donna Jung Yerin, Lee Joongi, and… Hey Joy, look!” Yeri said, her mocking tone disappearing in an instant.

“Sooyoung, just like you...” Yeri’s voice died as she saw Joy staring at the actress’s painted likeness on the poster. “Wait, is that-?”

“She seems to be doing well, huh?” Joy said quietly, her fist tight around the coin in her pocket.


	10. The Coin Song

They had both been named after their mother, Queen Sooyoung, though that hadn’t been the original intention. After Joy had been born and their mother died from the strain, their father, the King of Figaro, had tried to hold his wife in his heart a little bit longer by naming their youngest daughter after her as well, though he rarely called Joy as such.

Seven years her senior, her older sister had always been known as Crown Princess Sooyoung, while she herself had simply been known as Princess Joy. It was only at official functions that she was called by her full title, the crier announcing them as the Pride and Joy of Figaro. It had been cute when they were little kids, but as the years wore on, their patience with their superfluous titles, and the weight that they bore, had waned.

“It’s dangerous down here for a child,” the King gently scolded, as he caught Joy yet again rummaging around in his tools. They were down in the basements of Castle Figaro, where the large machines that could move the castle beneath the sands of the desert were being constructed. The team of royal engineers couldn’t chase her through the maze of pipes and massive turbines, and had resorted to calling her father to come collect her. “Why can’t you be more like your sister? Just because she’s the heir doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to be a little more ladylike yourself.” He scooped up the unruly princess as she fussed and carried her back up to the main floor of the castle.

“Matron, come get little Joy and clean her up, please,” he asked, passing off the ornery child to the nurse. “She’s been in the basement again and is covered in grease…”

“... Yes, your Highness, I’ll… take care of this right away,” the matron replied as she gingerly accepted Joy. Whether the matron’s ‘this’ referred to the King’s daughter or her current status, the King made no indication that he may have been offended.

“Eeeew, what stinks?” Sooyoung asked as she pranced around the corner and ran into the two adults with Joy.

“Your sister,” the King replied tiredly. “Sooyoung, after Joy’s bath can you take her to play in your room, so she doesn’t get into anymore trouble?”

“Yes, sir,” Sooyoung grumbled sourly. She and Joy couldn’t have been more different in their interests. She knew Joy was going to want to try taking apart her piano, or make fun of her singing, and was liable to make a general mess of her room. But the King knew that they were actually more similar than his eldest gave them credit for. They were both willful young ladies, strong enough to inherit the throne when their time came.

And the Gestahlian Empire made certain that time came sooner rather than later.

+++

 

Joy had been looking all over the castle for Sooyoung, holding her latest creation behind her back in anticipation of running into her. She had spent all night and most of the day designing, etching, and casting it, wanting to get it just right for her sister’s birthday: a solid gold coin with the Crown Princess’s face on one side, and Joy’s on the other.

As she approached the family’s wing, she noticed a strange amount of activity in the halls. Butlers and other attendants were rushing to and fro, and there was a tense, hushed atmosphere that immediately put her on edge.

She noticed one maid rush by with a arm full of silk sheets, and Joy was horrified to see large splotches of blood discoloring the fabric.

“Princess!” the matron called to her, coming up to Joy quickly, and Joy shied away from her touch. The matron never called her so formally before, and it made her even more wary than the sight of the blood. “Please, Princess Joy, come away with me; things are a little-”

“Where’s Sooyoung?” Joy asked in a voice that demanded an answer. “Where’s my father?”

The matron looked at her sympathetically, and Joy could see she was very troubled by something.

“I’ll take you to your sister.”

The matron led Joy away from the family wing, down through the castle to the conservatory, from which they could already hear the somber strokes of a piano echoing down the hall. The matron knocked at the large wooden door, but there was no answer - only the relentless progress of Sooyoung’s mournful etude.

Joy slipped inside alone, and saw the birthday girl by herself in the finely furnished room. Velvet curtains had been drawn aside to allow the clear desert sun to stream in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in warmth and light. It was quite a contrast to the sorrowful melody Sooyoung was playing, and her accompanying stormy expression.

“Sooyoung?” Joy called as she approached, pocketing her gift.

“What do you want?” Sooyoung asked tonelessly as she continued to play.

Joy paused, but then walked up to the piano and stood beside it, drawn to the way the hammers rhythmically struck the strings with every keystroke. “Is something wrong with father?”

Sooyoung was silent for a long moment, until she finally came to the conclusion of her song.

“... Yes.”

“Is he dying?”

“Yes.”

Joy felt a sudden weakness in her legs, and crouched there beside the piano. She hugged her knees to her chest, finally overcome with the all of the frightening and nervous energy she had felt near the King’s personal chambers. She cried.

Sooyoung felt tears welling up in her own eyes, listening to her younger sister’s sobs. She pulled shut the piano key cover and knelt down by Joy’s side, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Why?” Joy croaked.

“I don’t know,” Sooyoung answered in a shaky voice. “They said it’s poison.”

“Why father?” Joy asked again. “What’s going to happen to us?”

But Sooyoung _knew_ what was going to happen to them. She was 23 today, and Joy was 16. They were both technically old enough to ascend to the throne without contest. She held Joy closer to herself and they stayed like that until Joy had exhausted herself crying.

As dusk settled over Castle Figaro, the two girls wandered back to the family wing, where the frantic activity had slowed to anxious pacing. They sat together at the head of the stairs, still holding onto each other while they waited. There were hushed whisperings of “all we can do,” and “make him comfortable” while the staff tried their best to step around the two princesses.

+++

 

Joy woke to the sound of Sooyoung quietly humming and stroking her hair. She must have fallen asleep at some point, and Sooyoung had let her lay up against her, while she used the wall for support.

“Hey,” Sooyoung murmured to her as Joy shifted upright.

“Any news?” Joy mumbled groggily.

Sooyoung shook her head, but the matron slowly walked towards them. Her posture was stiff, and she had her hands clasped in front of herself to keep them from trembling, but the girls could clearly see tears in her eyes.

She paused a few feet away and looked about the stairwell. The tower they were standing in was walled in large, well-fitted stone bricks - a cold compliment to all of the warmer wood paneling of the family chambers down the hall. Mounted across from the landing on the far wall was the Figaro family crest, and she averted her gaze, unable to meet the princesses’ eyes nor face the dwindling royal line. She remembered being a nurse to the late Queen Sooyoung, and now she was the matron of these two precious girls. How many more family deaths could her old heart bear?

“S… Crown Princess Sooyoung-” she began but Sooyoung unexpectedly cut her off.

“Don’t.”

“But Princess,” the matron tried again.

“ _Don’t_!”

And Joy was surprised by the raw pain in her sister’s voice.

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“Princess, please.”

“ _Don’t call me that!_ ” Sooyoung cried, and she suddenly stood and ran down the stairs.

The matron was so startled, Joy saw a tear race down her cheek before she regained her composure. She slowly got up and put a hand on the matron’s.

“Is my father dead?”

And the matron lifted her chin and nodded after Sooyoung. “Yes, Princess. And it was his wish that she would ascend the throne, and that you would become her chief advisor.”

Joy blinked. An advisor? Her?

The matron could see the confusion on her face. “He knows you have a good heart, Princess. He trusts that you two can protect the kingdom.”

And Joy swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. Protect the kingdom. Because the King really was dead.

“But the Crown Princess will need to be coronated soon. The Empire of Gestahl is looking for weaknesses in its neighbors and we cannot afford to wait. I’m sorry.”

Joy nodded, not trusting her voice just yet. She withdrew her hand and slowly started down the stairs after Sooyoung.

+++

 

She found her sister up on top of the highest tower in the castle. _Their_ castle. The winter nights in the desert were especially cold, but neither of the girls felt it. Joy took a moment to take in the view of Sooyoung gazing out over the battlements, illuminated by the full moon’s light as it reflected off the leagues of endless sand that stretched out in every direction. It was _her_ kingdom now, that she was looking at. And Joy was looking at her _queen_.

“Sooyoung,” Joy quietly called to her as she approached.

“I heard the servants talking,” Sooyoung said hoarsely. “They said it was the Empire. That they poisoned father.”

Joy wished she was naive enough to believe otherwise, but it fit too well with the current political climate.

“War’s coming,” Sooyoung continued. “But Joy… How can I be queen?” Joy came up to her quickly, hearing her sister’s voice quaver. “Why did he have to die?” And now it was Joy’s turn to comfort Sooyoung as she cried on Joy’s shoulder.

“I never wanted to be the heir,” she sobbed. “But I’m the eldest. It’s not fair, Joy. It’s just not fair…”

Joy stroked her hair, and held her tightly, looking up at the few stars that weren’t blotted out by the brilliant light of the moon.

“What if I became the queen, then?” Joy quietly suggested. She felt Sooyoung’s shuddering form still in her arms.

“No, Joy. I could never do that to you,” she protested, pulling away from Joy.

“What would you do if you weren’t queen?” Joy suddenly asked.

“What?”

“What if we ran away from here? What if we just... forgot this place? What would you do?” Joy prompted, a small, willful smile playing on her lips.

Sooyoung gave a short laugh as she wiped her eyes. “Run away…” she scoffed. But then she looked out again at the long, undulating dunes of the desert. “I’d play music. Or sing. Can you imagine it?” she asked, as she stepped up to the battlements. “Maybe act, too. I’d join a troupe!”

Joy was happy to hear her laugh, even if it was simply at the absurdity of the idea. Sooyoung had a talent and passion for music, just as she herself had a passion for engineering. “Maybe I’d go to Narshe, and work on their trains in the mines,” she suggested wistfully. She tried to put her heart into her words, but the moment was already passing, and the reality of their situations was beginning to settle back in.

But she couldn’t stand to see her sister cry again like that. She didn’t want Sooyoung to have to bury her dreams because of their father’s murder.

“Let’s flip for it.”

“What?” Sooyoung asked in surprise.

“We’ll flip for it. One of us stays, and one of us goes. No regrets,” Joy said decisively. She fished in her pocket for Sooyoung’s birthday present, that double-headed gold coin she had forged only hours ago.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Joy,” Sooyoung protested, though Joy could clearly see the temptation in her eyes as she watched Joy give the coin a test flip.

“We’re both old enough to be queen, Sooyoung. We don’t both have to stay. If it’s heads, you win. You can go, got it?”

Sooyoung silently regarded her for a long moment, and Joy came up to stand beside her at the edge of the tower.

“Fine. It’s a deal. If it’s heads… I’ll go, and you’ll be queen.”

“No regrets,” Joy added with a smirk.

“No regrets,” Sooyoung confirmed, finally sharing in that playful expression.

“Okay, here we go…!”

And Joy flipped the coin high in the air, where it reflected the moonlight in flashes with every rotation.

As she caught the coin and slapped it on the back of her hand, preparing to reveal the pre-determined result, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction wash over her. She could weather the burden of being the Queen of Figaro if it meant letting her sister go to fulfill her dreams, wherever they may take her. It would be worth it if Sooyoung could be happy.

She took her hand away and showed Sooyoung the result.

“Well, would you look at that.”

+++

 

That was five years ago.


	11. Opera: Maria and Draco

Seulgi had returned the handful of coins Joy had given her for dinner, as she and Irene had opted to lay low in the ship for the evening after their duel in the street. Joy used the extra gil to purchase a coach to take them from Jidoor to the Opera House.

“Stop fidgeting,” Yeri commanded as they waited for it to arrive.

Seulgi couldn’t help it. She had never worn such stuffy finery before, and between her high, stiff shirt collar and her pointed black shoes, she was feeling oddly constrained. The tailors had worked through the night thanks to Joy’s generous advance, and the Returners had been able to return in the morning for final fittings and adjustments before they were satisfied. The designer had been less than impressed with Seulgi’s inability to tie her own bow or know where to stick her pin. He grumbled something about the proletariat as he showed her multiple times how to adjust the knot and the different styles she could wear it in.

 

_“And this is men’s fashion! Imagine if you ladies had decided to wear gowns - Odin help you.”_

 

Though in Seulgi’s defense, Yeri hadn’t fared much better. She, too, was feeling the restriction of movement with their coattailed jackets, sewn in tight, albeit flattering fits. The blonde tugged at her lapels and adjusted her cufflinks, admiring the stark contrast of the crisp black and white outfit, even while mourning her beloved purple bandanna that Joy had refused to let her wear. As good as she felt they all looked, she still wasn’t convinced that they would be able to fight any better in these outfits than if they had worn dresses after all. Except…

“You’re _not_ bringing that,” Yeri gasped, turning her scandalized expression away from Seulgi to Joy.

“And why wouldn’t I?” Joy asked, as she pulled a lace handkerchief out of her sleeve and delicately wiped something that Seulgi hoped was dirt off of the glinting, toothed blades of her chainsaw. “Shadow- er, Hyelin was right, you know,” Joy explained. “Getting into Vector by air is our best option. If we can’t come to some sort of agreement with Captain Moonbyul, we’re still going to need her ship, whether she’s piloting it or not.”

As they filed into the coach one by one, Seulgi felt strangely obliged to offer Irene a hand to help her in, and perhaps even more strangely, Irene accepted it without comment as she climbed inside.

“Seulgi wait,” Joy called before the rancher could follow after. “Here, I want you to have this.” It was a new hat: a dark grey, wide-brimmed slouch hat with one side pinned up. The queen had even taken the liberty of sticking one of Boko’s long, molted feathers in the pin. She had considered putting Seulgi in a top hat, but she ultimately decided this style would suit her better, even if it made Seulgi look more like a country gentleman than a city-dwelling socialite.

Seulgi was ecstatic. She beamed at Joy and accepted it gratefully. “This is perfect!” she cried, plopping it on her head. Joy laughed and helped her adjust it, giving it just a bit of a rakish tilt that was entirely at odds with Seulgi’s big, goofy smile. She doffed it with a flourish and bowed, ushering Joy into the carriage grandiosely.

Joy inclined her head in a very practiced manner as she climbed inside, and Seulgi followed. Yeri made the queen sit next to her, which meant Seulgi was left to sit next to Irene. The carriage rumbled off to a start as the driver urged the chocobos into a measured trot, and Irene let her gaze naturally turn to the window as they trailed along the coastline, making their way down the narrow peninsula.

No one spoke, and it wasn’t long before they began to drift off one by one, lulled to sleep by the vibrations of the clattering wheels on the dirt road. Irene felt the brush of Seulgi’s plumed hat against her head and saw that the rancher had also nodded off, with her chin resting on her silk bow.

Irene hesitated a moment before reaching up and carefully removing Seulgi’s hat, but she didn’t trust it in the sleeping girl’s lap, so she held it in her own. She let her fingers gently run the length of the feather as she returned to staring out the window.

 

_“We have an extra ticket, why not bring the Lieutenant?” Leeteuk asked._

_“Which one?” the Emperor returned._

_“That girl, the one like me,” the Court Wizard eagerly suggested. “I can see she’s going to go far with her abilities. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to start acclimating her to the social responsibilities she’ll start to have, as well as the martial ones?”_

_Mostly, Leeteuk just didn’t want to be the only ‘freak’ at the opera. He wanted to have someone else there who could sympathize. Someone who_ understood _._

_Emperor Gestahl blew out a breath through his long moustache. “I suppose you have a point. We didn’t spend all that money and research on her so she could become a jughead. Go ask her. We’ll leave for Jidoor tonight.”_

_Leeteuk practically skipped down the cold iron halls of the Emperor’s ziggurat, picking his way past all of the engineering and research labs on his way towards the barracks of the army’s officers. He spied Irene in the mess hall by herself and he let out a thankful sigh that was followed by that odd laugh he had begun to adopt. He blinked and shook his head. He was glad she was alone; usually that Witch followed her everywhere, and it was rare to see them apart from one another._

_No, tonight she would be_ his _friend! Tonight and on their way to Jidoor,_ they _would be the ones to laugh and talk and bond together. Oh, how he_ hated _the Witch, and how kind and gentle she was. It made him sick. How could she stand to be so nice, knowing who she was? Knowing_ what _she was? Knowing what everyone said about her? How could she still be so happy? And worse, she was making_ Irene _happy, when the Lieutenant should be just as miserable as he was._

_Uwee hee hee…!_

_He put a hand to his forehead and laughed again before he could stop himself. Yes, that must have been when he had started hating the Witch so much, when he realized she had that one thing he had lost after that first time Heechul had pressed the needle into his arm._

Hope.

_Well, no more. He would make sure Irene remembered that there was no hope in this doomed world of theirs. He walked over to the teenager and gave a superfluous bow._

_“Lieutenant Bae,” he greeted in a singsong voice._

_She eyed him warily and set her fork carefully down in her tray. “Court Wizard,” she replied cautiously. In her periodic check-ups with Heechul, she had long since pieced together that he was the Chief Engineer’s ‘failed experiment’ that she had heard rumors of when she was still a child, but she didn’t quite understand what that had meant until she had seen it for herself._

_“Please, call me Leeteuk,” he insisted, though he grossly outranked her, being the Emperor’s personal advisor._

_Irene wasn’t sure what to make of that and kept silent, waiting for him to say what he had come to say._

_“The Emperor has come to offer you an invitation to the opera, if you’d do him the honor of attending~” Leeteuk exclaimed dramatically in his lilting voice._

_“The opera? In Jidoor?” she asked in surprise. “Why me?”_

_Leeteuk narrowed his eyes and came closer. “He sees potential in you, Lieutenant. He wants you to make your debut.”_

_Her debut? She wasn’t some gentleman’s daughter, she was Lieutenant Bae Irene of the Gestahlian Imperial Army. She couldn’t help furrowing her brows even at the compliments._

_“Is Wendy going to be there?”_

_Leeteuk’s grin hardened, and he stood up straight. “Unfortunately, there aren’t enough seats in the Emperor’s box. Perhaps she will be able to join us another time,” he said stiffly, and Irene couldn’t help but notice how she had already been included in his ‘us’._

_She turned her frown on her half-empty tray of rations. “Then I must refuse.”_

_“You…_ what _?” Leeteuk asked, biting back a chuckle. “You_ refuse _to attend the Emperor at the opera?” He knew she was just a teenager, many years his junior, but he thought she at least understood this basic level of etiquette._

_Irene was steadfast. “I’d rather not go if Wendy can’t go,” she insisted._

_“Why do you need the Witch to be there?” he asked exasperatedly, his veneer of gentlemanly manners disappearing almost immediately._

_Irene glared up at him. That was_ exactly _why she wanted Wendy to be there. Because everyone only thought of her as the Witch. Irene had seen the way she was treated when she wasn’t around. “Because! She’s just like us, isn’t she? Shouldn’t she receive the same privileges?”_

 _Oh, but Leeteuk knew she_ wasn’t _like them. Not quite, and that was why she was feared and avoided as much as she was._

_He was fighting very hard against a rising, petulant rage and he stomped his foot before he could stop himself. “Do you want to lose the Emperor’s favor?” he asked with the hint of a whine in his voice._

_“Will I really lose his favor if I decide not to go to an opera with him? You said yourself that the box will be full. I doubt I’ll be missed,” she countered. She wasn’t sure what she had done exactly to gain his ‘favor’ in the first place, but she didn’t want it if it was going to take her away from Wendy._

_“Fine! Stay here and enjoy your iron walls and your cold rations, while I go enjoy myself!” he huffed as he gave a stiff bow and walked out of the mess hall. Irene felt the hairs on her arms rise as she heard his laugh echo in from the hall._

_Leeteuk knew he was going to have to find another way to break up the dynamic duo, and he rubbed his gloved hands together as the wheels began to turn._

 

“Irene?”

Irene slowly opened her eyes.

“Irene, we’re here.”

She felt a stiffness in her neck and sat up, belatedly realizing she had fallen asleep on Seulgi’s shoulder. The rancher gently took her hat back from the ex-general, and leaned down a little to catch Irene’s groggy gaze.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly, while Joy and Yeri exited the carriage first.

Irene blinked her bleariness away and frowned at Seulgi. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m… sorry,” she muttered, but Seulgi just gave her that irritating smile. Irene climbed over her to get out.

They had made good time from Jidoor, and had arrived at the Opera House with the late afternoon sun making its final descent over the ocean.

“I wonder if the Impresario knows about the ‘wedding’,” Yeri said with a grin.

Joy hefted her chainsaw. “Either way, we should try to explain what our plan is to him.”

“What _is_ our plan, anyway?” Seulgi asked delicately. She must have dozed off early on during their ride, because she didn’t recall any sort of discussion about their next steps. She just remembered feeling Irene’s weight settle against her as she drifted in and out of sleep.

But Joy’s attention was drawn away as she stared up at the baroque facade of the Opera House. How many years had it been since she had last attended? Before her father had died, that was for certain. She had sold his box soon after his death, knowing she would have no reason to want to go alone.

Without answering Seulgi’s question, she walked up to the double doors and waited for the attendants to open them for her. The crier asked for her name, but Joy declined the announcement since the show itself wouldn’t start for several hours yet. Instead, she asked for him to fetch the Impresario. He bowed and walked off, and Joy gestured for the others to follow her into the lobby. While the waited, she beckoned another attendant over.

"Do you have a coat check?" she asked as she handed him her chainsaw. The poor man nodded, though he was clearly mortified at the massive weapon she had just asked him to check.

The Impresario was a tall, thin man dressed as they were in black coattails and a high white collar. He sported a monocle and a finely trimmed moustache, and while he regarded the queen with a 90 degree bow, he looked down his angular nose at the rest of the party.

“Your Highness, you honor our humble establishment,” he said perfunctorily, after a greeting.

Seulgi marveled again at how Joy’s mien had shifted into that of the Queen of Figaro. It was such a sterile contrast to how excited she got while playing with her machines, or her quick temper with Yeri while they bickered.

Joy pulled the wedding invitation out of her jacket’s breastpocket and handed it over to the Impresario. “Do you know anything about this? I received word that Captain Moonbyul is engaged to the Prima Donna?”

The Impresario’s monocle fell from his eye as his eyebrows stretched up towards his receding hairline. “ _That_ rapscallion? Preposterous! If I may,” he asked as he took the invitation and read it over carefully. “What kind of hideous libel is this-? Oh, _no_ …” he breathed as he saw tickets for this evening’s show tucked into the card.

He carefully passed it back to Joy and replaced his monocle. “Those are for tonight. May I presume that they came with the… er, invitation?” he asked as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Joy nodded. “We were hoping you could tell us more. We suspect she may try to kidnap Jung Yerin.”

The Impresario turned his head and closed his eyes dramatically, his stiff manners finally compromised under the stress. “Oh, it’s true! That rake, Moonbyul - do pardon my language - has been threatening to kidnap her ever since we announced that she would be the lead in our performance this season. Whatever shall I do! It’s opening night! We cannot afford to have the show disrupted!”

Joy stuffed the card back in her jacket. “Don’t worry, we have some business with her, and when she comes, we’ll wait until she makes her move, and then _we’ll_ make _ours_. We’ll rescue Yerin for you.”  

“Heavens! You can’t do that! It’ll ruin the show!” the Impresario gasped.

“The _show_?” Joy asked with a healthy dose of incredulity. “You’re worried about the _show_ when your star performer's been threatened with _kidnapping_?”

“Well, of course! The Opera House has a reputation to uphold, after all!” He sounded indignant. “I should have thought someone of your high station would understand that the show _must_ go on!”

Joy glared at him, but to his credit, he made an effort to look unaffected.

“No, no, this simply will not do! There must be another way!”

Irene fingered the hilt of her blade as she took in their surroundings. The Opera House in Jidoor did indeed have a reputation. It was the largest, most opulent, and oldest theater in the world, and had never closed, not even during the two previous Gestahlian campaigns.

So how could they let a little thing like the  _elopement_ of their Prima Donna get in the way of opening night?

“What about a decoy?” the Impresario suggested, drawing everyone out of their thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Seulgi asked, not at all following.

“Easy! It’ll protect Miss Jung if the Captain tries to kidnap her, and you’ll still get the drop on her!” He looked between the girls and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Once the decoy is kidnapped, we’ll simply continue on with Miss Jung as if nothing were amiss!”

“How would that work? Wouldn’t the audience notice it's not Yerin?” Joy asked with a skeptical look.

The Impresario tugged at his moustache in thought, then he slowly lowered his eyes to Irene. “... have you ever considered going blonde?”

Irene gave a loud, scandalized laugh. “Me? Sing in an _opera_? I’m a _general_ , not some opera floozy!” she sputtered before she could catch herself. She didn’t dare peek at Seulgi.

The Impresario looked troubled and began to pace. “Oh, this is just a _disaster_! My show will be ruined! All of the actors at the company will lose their jobs, my orchestra will be on the streets, they’ll close the Opera House…” He peeked at the Returners to see if he was having any effect. “Oh, what will I tell my wife and _children_?” he added with a wail.

Irene rolled her eyes, but shifted uncomfortably. More than the melodramatic threat of the airship captain abducting the singer and ruining the show was the fact that this was still their best shot at securing travel to Vector.

“I’ll do it,” Seulgi said, stepping forward.

The Impresario all but gave a leap for joy as he clapped his hands. “You will?” he asked with a teary-eyed expression.

“You _will_?” the other girls chorused behind her.

Seulgi shrugged. “I can kind of sing. Besides,” she asked glancing back at the others. “What choice do we have?”

The Impresario took her hands in his own and shook them vigorously. “Oh, thank you! We’re saved! Now come, let’s get you ready for your big debut!” And he began dragging her out of the Opera House.

“Wh-where are we going?” Seulgi asked in alarm as she stumbled along after him.

“Why, to the salon of course. Miss Yerin made a splash recently with her blonde hair, and we can’t disappoint her fans~”

Seulgi looked back at the others for support, but they simply snickered and waved as she was led away.

+++

 

Seulgi was surprised to see Irene waiting for her in the dressing room when she returned. She was seated at the table, flipping through the pages of the script with a hard frown. Seulgi quietly came up behind her, watching her in the mirror’s reflection, and for a moment she paused to note the way the flickering light from the wall sconces lent a warmth to Irene’s normally pale complexion.

But Irene soon caught sight of Seulgi standing behind her, and her fierce scowl changed to mute shock.

Seulgi was the first to drop her gaze, and she twisted a length of her blonde hair in her fingers in mild embarrassment. “So… what do you think?”

Irene gave herself a little shake and stood up from the dressing table, buying herself some time to collect her thoughts. “It looks good.” She cleared her throat, finding it suddenly rather dry. “On you. It looks good on you,” she tried again, haltingly. Since when had she become incapable of forming a complete sentence around the chocobo rancher?

Seulgi chewed at the inside of her cheek as she glanced upwards, trying to see her bangs at the periphery of her vision. “You think so?” she asked again, quite unaware of the effect she was having on the hardened ex-general.

“Yup, it’s great,” Irene forced out, and then pointed at the clothing rack, trying to draw attention to anything that wasn’t Seulgi’s distressingly comely new look. “Now get changed. We have to go over your lines for tonight.” And without another word, Irene stomped out of the room.

She shut the door, finally able to catch a full breath of air out in the hallway, and she couldn’t help a quiet grumble from escaping her lips as she leaned up against the wood.

“ _Shiva_ , help me.”


	12. Aria di Mezzo Carattere

Irene didn’t come back to help Seulgi with her lines. Instead she sent Yeri, who took to hitting Seulgi on the head with the script if she forgot her parts. Seulgi wasn’t sure if that it was better or worse than how Irene would have drilled her, but she was a little distracted wondering where the ex-general might have gone. And normally she would be a little alarmed to realize that she had begun to think like this - wondering where Irene was whenever she wasn’t around - but in thinking about her, Seulgi had suddenly remembered their conversation down in the lobby.

“Yeri?”

Yeri paused in the middle of her rather obnoxious rendition of the male lead’s melodious soliloquy. She was supposed to be helping Seulgi, but she was beginning to have a bit of fun with this opera herself.

“What is Irene the general of?” Seulgi asked as she stared down at her script in her lap. She had to ditch her brand new suit in favor of a white, ruffled ball gown, something a little too garish for formal evening wear, but perfect for catching the audience’s eye on the stage, letting them know immediately that she was the focus of the scene.

Yeri froze and opened her mouth, but closed it again. Seulgi looked up at her when she didn’t respond.

“Is she from Figaro?”

“No.”

“From Doma, then?”

“... No, but Seulgi-”

“Then _where_? What other kingdom has a standing army?” she asked in a leading tone. There was only one other option, according to the way her brother had described the complicated conflict. “I’ve tried to wait and let her tell me herself. I’ve listened to you guys dance around it ever since I met you. At first I thought maybe she was from Doma, and that you were trying to protect her feelings about what happened there.”

“Seulgi…”

“But you were protecting _mine_ , weren’t you?”

“This isn’t something I can talk to you about!” Yeri finally blurted out. “It’s not fair to her, Seulgi. You need to talk to _her_ about it.”

But Seulgi held Yeri’s gaze. “She’s from Gestahl, isn’t she?” That would explain everything; every averted gaze, every time a hush would settle over the group whenever Seulgi would join them, and of course Irene's unique talent with _ice_. They had kept it from her, even knowing that her brother had been murdered by the Empire. Or, perhaps they had kept it from her _because_ of that.

“It’s really not my place, Seulgi,” Yeri repeated as she noticed Seulgi’s mood darkening. “But listen to me, okay? Irene... she’s really on our side.” Seulgi’s expression was making her desperate. They were getting so close to achieving their goal, she was _so_ close to finally being able to exact her revenge, and Seulgi had made herself a key piece in their plan. They _couldn’t_ fail now.

“How can you know that? How can you trust her?” Seulgi scoffed suddenly, her anger rising at Yeri’s confirmation through omission. “A general from _Gestahl_? What about Joy? How can you be so sure that she’ll be safe?”

Yeri regarded Seulgi for a moment, contemplating her answer. “Because I found her under arrest, Seulgi.” Thinking back to that day brought all of the noises and sensations with it; the smell of thousands of corpses rotting under the sun, the croaking and groaning of those who still clung to life, the sight of Gestahlian troops combing through the town, breaking into homes and gunning down the survivors.

“The Empire was going to execute her.”

 

_Yeri saw immediately that it was too late to save Doma and doubled back to the Imperial camp to see what information there was to gather. She found it mostly emptied of troops as they were all at the castle finishing their grisly work, and had a relatively easy time passing from tent to tent on her way towards the command center._

_There was still a skeleton guard leisurely patrolling the grounds, knowing their victory was assured, and Yeri strained to pick up any conversation she was close enough to overhear from them as she ghosted along._

_“... I don’t know, doesn’t it kind of feel like overkill? I mean the women, too?”_

_“Women can be dangerous, don’t underestimate them,” the other soldier countered._

_“I’m talking about servants, not soldiers,” the first soldier clarified irritably._

_“... Yeah, I guess I feel the same. But we knew this was coming - once the Court Wizard arrived, I figured this would end pretty quickly.”_

_“But is it worth it? Doma doesn’t even use steam power; I doubt they’d ever try using magic. They would have never been a real threat to us.”_

_“Well, they held us off for this long, didn’t they?”_

_“But maybe General Bae was right, maybe we should have just waited for reinforcements…”_

_“Hey! Careful saying stuff like that! They’re calling her a traitor now for standing up to the Court Wizard. You don’t want to get mixed up in that.”_

_The first soldier put up his hands disarmingly. “Whoa, no, I mean what’s done is done, and I’m glad it’s over, but… I guess I just think maybe_ that’s _a little bit of overkill, too. Sentencing her to death? Seems a little extreme to me.”_

_The second soldier paused and tugged at the chinstrap of his helmet. “... Yeah. Is this what it’s going to be like from now on…?”_

_Yeri’s curiosity was piqued; maybe her reconnaissance mission had time for a little look-see in the camp’s detention center._

_She skirted down the periphery of the camp until she came to the only tent with a heavy guard, though even so, there were only four soldiers lazily grouped around the front. As she approached, she saw that they were smirking to each other and as she carefully circumnavigated around to the back of the tent, she could hear why._

_Whoever was inside was receiving a beating._

_Yeri quietly cut a slit in the seam of the tentwall with her dagger and peered inside to witness two guards in their shirtsleeves taunting the limp figure of a woman chained between two tentpoles. Was that really her? The Ice Princess? The Scourge of Maranda? She didn't look much like the General of the Gestahlian Empire, her figure bloodied, bruised, broken._

_One of the soldiers squatted in front of her where she knelt in the dirt._

_“Hey! Hey Ice Princess, wanna order me to mop the factory floors again? Remember that? In Tzen, when you ‘punished’ my whole squad? Go on, what’s the matter? Cait Sith got your tongu-”_

WHAM!!!

_Perhaps she was not so broken after all._

_Yeri had to clap both hands over her mouth to suppress her laughter as she watched Imperial General Bae Irene viciously headbutt the soldier as he leaned in. He fell back on his butt in the dirt and blood was already seeping through his fingers as he covered his nose._

_“YOU BITCH! YOU STUPID-” and he choked on his own blood as his sucked in a breath in his rage. The other soldier helped him up and they left the tent together. “You just wait! You just WAIT…!”_

_And the general did wait, kneeling there unphased, her tired form hanging limply from her chains._

_Yeri only hesitated for a moment before widening the slit in the seam and rushing over to girl’s side. The general didn’t seem to even register that Yeri was there until the thief had successfully picked the lock of one of her manacles._

_Irene looked up through the blood running into her swelling eye in wonder as the blonde girl rushed around to her other side to free her other arm. Irene had no idea who this girl was; clearly she wasn’t a soldier - no uniform, no standard equipment - so who could she possibly be?_

_It was a tense moment when her other hand was freed and they stared at each other warily. After a beat, Yeri gave her a cheeky smirk and offered her a hand. Irene declined and pushed herself up, eliciting an eyeroll from Yeri. The thief wordlessly stalked back over to the slit she had made in the tentwall and beckoned Irene over. The general paused only long enough to grab her officer’s coat and sabre from the table and followed after her._

 

Yeri was pulled out of her memories by the sound of Seulgi’s satin gown rubbing against itself as she crossed her arms. There was so much she wanted to explain to the rancher but Yeri was conflicted. Yeri had spent the first few days of their partnership viewing the ex-general as an asset to leverage against the Empire, but had long since come to see her as more of an ally. A _friend_. How could Seulgi seriously be second-guessing her after everything they’ve been through together?

“Would she teach you how to fight as intensely as she does if she just wanted to betray you to the Empire?” Yeri tried.

Seulgi glowered. Even if Irene _had_ been sentenced to death by the Empire, hadn’t she still been a general for them? For how long? How many city-states and kingdoms had she conquered before finally turning her armies on Doma?

“It’s probably all she knows,” Seulgi grumbled defensively. She didn’t like how hard Yeri was trying to convince her that Irene had really repented for her service to the Empire.

“That’s not fair, Seulgi. I know you know better than that.”

“You know what’s not fair?” Seulgi asked tensely as she suddenly stood. “That my brother is _dead_ , because of _her_ Empire! Every single person in Doma is dead! How old is she? How long was she in the army? How many people did she kill during that time?”

“Seulgi, stop!” Yeri demanded, standing as well. “You have no idea what kind of sacrifices she’s made! She abandoned everything she knew because she didn’t believe in what she was doing anymore!” Yeri was making a few assumptions; she knew precious few details beyond what she had been able to piece together from the Returner’s intel reports and the events at Doma itself, but she knew Irene had proven herself to be a woman of principle.

“She gave up _everything_ , Seulgi,” Yeri iterated. “She only has us, now.”

And that seemed to finally get Seulgi’s hard gaze and stiff jaw to soften. Once again, Seulgi heard that line Yeri had said way back on the Veldt: that grief had touched all of them. She didn’t know what that meant for Yeri or Joy, but she found herself wondering what that phrase really meant for someone like Irene.

“Let’s just see this thing through, alright? You don’t have to like it, Seulgi, but I think we’re all making deals with Bahamut these days. Just focus on your revenge- on protecting those who still remain,” Yeri said, correcting herself.

Seulgi eyed the now-crumpled script in her hand and nodded solemnly. Yeri was right. About a lot of things. And not the least of which was that taking down the Empire was more important than seeking justice against one of its defected officers.

+++

 

“You’re sure you’ll remember?” Yeri asked for possibly the fiftieth time as she and Seulgi waited in the wings of the stage.

Seulgi was trying to block the smaller girl out as she read and _re_ read the script. “ _Shh_!”

“You’re right, I’m sure you’ll be fine. After all, how could one forget such asinine writing?” Yeri snickered.

That brought Seulgi out of her fixed concentration. She frowned at the thief. “I think it’s kind of nice,” she protested, though the end of her sentence was drowned out by the sudden roar of applause from the audience.

Seulgi looked out and could see the Impresario walking to center stage. He gave a series of bows - to the box seats, the mezzanine, the general audience, and then nodded his head at the maestro in the orchestra pit.

The theater erupted in a wash of sound as the orchestra launched into the opera’s powerful overture and Seulgi felt her heart swell. Her country life had exposed her to few artistic performances - mostly troupes passing through the new saloon, certainly never anything of _this_ scale - and suddenly she was struck with the thought that she was about to go out there as the prima donna and would be expected to carry the story with her acting and voice.

The Impresario narrated the setting of the opera, in a surprisingly strong voice that projected well throughout the theater. It was a disturbingly familiar story, of war and conquest, petty squabbles and honorless warlords.

“ _The battle between the East and West grew fiercer with each passing day. Draco, the great Hero of the West, thinks of his love, Maria. Is she safe? Is she still waiting for him?_ ” After this somber introduction, the Impresario bowed and left the stage, and the orchestra shifted into the first real movement of the opera.

As Draco, Seulgi’s counterpart in this story, took the stage and sang of his undying love for Maria to the gathered audience, she realized just how far away she had strayed from her own home on this journey with the Returners. It was like she had stepped into a completely different world as she peeked out at the sea of men and women in the audience, with their silk top hats and oiled goatees, their gilt opera glasses held in their fair, delicate hands.

They may have dyed Seulgi's hair to try and disguise her as Yerin, but there was no hiding who she truly was.

The Impresario took to the stage again to continue his narration of the opera’s story, and all too soon, Seulgi began to hear the rise of a piano through the fading notes of the last scene. It was her cue.

“ _The West fell, and Maria was taken by Prince Ralse of the East. Though, she never stopped yearning for Draco._ ”

If she lingered, she’d miss her line, but as Yeri gave her a hearty thumbs-up, she paused, noting that Irene was still nowhere to be found. Yeri blinked at her hesitation and with both hands pushed her out onto the stage.

Seulgi barely reached her mark in time, in the cloister of a fake castle, and took a deep breath.

And she sang.

It was an echo of Draco’s soliloquy from the beginning of the play, a mournful refrain that lamented the persisting war in the story that kept them apart. And as she carefully recited the lyrics line by line, she ascended the castle’s stairs up to a balcony, where an apparition of Draco himself awaited her. They danced together in a dream-like sequence as the music rose, giving Seulgi a break from her lines. But too soon, the fantasy was over and Draco’s ghost took his leave, and in his place was a bouquet of roses.

Yeri took this as her cue to find their seats in order to get a better view of the stage, but when she reached them, high up in the relatively deserted mezzanine, she noticed that only Joy was up there. Alone.

Yeri sat next to Joy and immediately leaned over to whisper to her. “Where’s Irene?”

Joy roused herself from a reverie she had fallen into, and whispered back, “I thought she was with you.”

Yeri shook her head and thought for a moment. Seulgi’s untested stage singing was adequate for the performance, but Yeri was positive there wasn’t a person sitting in the audience who thought she was Jung Yerin. Maybe the Impresario could pass her off as an understudy? Still, Moonbyul could pounce at any time and she remembered that they weren’t actually here to watch a show. She began to stand up again. “I’m going to go look for her.”

But Joy reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Wait… I’ll go,” she suggested. “You stay here and keep an eye on Seulgi.

Yeri slowly sat back down, a little stunned at Joy’s insistence, but as she watched the queen walk away, Yeri saw how stiffly she moved, how tightly her fists were clenched. Joy was barely holding it together, Yeri realized. After all, they were in her _sister’s_  domain now. Yeri sank back into her seat and tried to focus on watching the stage for any signs of mischief.

As was described in the script, Seulgi scooped up the bouquet and walked out to the edge of the balcony of the fake castle, ready to continue her solo now that the ghost of Draco had disappeared. Up above the stage at this height, she had a commanding view of the audience, and likewise, all eyes were on her.

This was the big climax of her character’s arc: after saying her goodbyes to her embattled lover’s ghost, she was supposed to toss the bouquet from the balcony in a metaphorical act of resigning herself to her fate.

But as she held the roses out over the balustrade, a figure suddenly descended from the rafters, standing with her foot in the loop of a long rope. It was a woman sporting a head of beautiful, silvery hair, and a long, black coat, unfastened to reveal her silk shirt beneath. Everything about her attire screamed indulgence: the fabric, the embroidery, the gold stitching, the shined leather boots with their silver buckles. It reminded her quite a bit of the outfit she had met Joy in, and Seulgi was certain that this woman could also buy her family's entire ranch - undoubtedly _all_ of Mobliz - just with the sale of this outfit alone. All in all, it was an impressive sight. 

And not one bit of it was in the script.

As the woman stood there in mid air, she gave Seulgi a lazy smirk and took the bouquet from her, giving it a sniff.

“For me? You shouldn’t have~” Moon Byuli, Captain of the Blackjack, said as she swung from her rope jauntily. She gave the flowers a toss out into the audience and suddenly looped her arm around Seulgi’s waist.

With a sharp whistle from the captain, they were hoisted into the air, forcing Seulgi to throw her arms around Moonbyul’s neck or risk falling.

This wasn’t in the script, either, but Seulgi desperately hoped it was part of the plan.

+++

 

Irene was outside, leaning against a tree, trying to cool her head. “It looks good on you,” she muttered to herself irritably. She balled her hand into a fist and punched the trunk. “Of course it looks good on you. _Everything_. Looks. Good. On. You,” she continued with more punches. The suit. The sword in her belt. That stupid hat. Irene sighed and leaned back against the tree, letting her head rest against the bark in much the same way as she had when she rushed out of Seulgi’s dressing room earlier.

Now was _not_ the time to get distracted by a pretty face.

Irene frowned. No, that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t just her pretty face. It was her gentle manners. Her pastoral mien? Her open expressions? It was her easy-going nature. Her willingness, no, her _readiness_ to help others in need. Seulgi was everything Irene herself was not, and with a growing sense of horror, Irene realized she wanted to spare Seulgi from all of the things that had earned her the nickname Ice Princess in this war.

She wanted to protect her.

With a growl she rounded on the tree once again, but before she could land another hit, she heard an unfamiliar, rhythmically repetitive noise cut through the air, and she slowly looked towards its source… up in the sky… slowly descending on the roof of the Opera House.

Oh.

It was propellers.

From an _airship_.

Irene drew her sabre and sprinted back inside.


	13. The Blackjack

After the initial shock of being hoisted into the air by a woman whom Seulgi had been taught to suspect as an insincere manipulator at best, she felt surprisingly calm as Moonbyul lead her out onto the roof of the Opera House. They had a commanding view of the peninsula and the moonlit coastline as it stretched back to the glimmering jewel that was Jidoor in the distance, but her attention was caught by the massive airship, far larger than their cutter - it was practically a full-sized galleon - suspended by what she could only describe as a balloon. Though said balloon was larger than the Opera House itself. The whole contraption was covered in bands of iron and propellers, a complex tangle of rigging, and black canvas, and Seulgi could start to understand why Joy had finally decided to go along with this plan. It looked like an engineer’s dream.

The captain stepped her foot on the lowest rung of a rope ladder that hung from the side of the ship and once more grabbed Seulgi firmly by the waist to be hoisted up to the deck. Seulgi was ready this time and stepped onto the ladder as well, figuring that this likely _was_ part of the plan, and trusting that the girls would come and rescue her soon.

“Captain!” Sujeong cried out, and several other crew members crowded around as Moonbyul and Seulgi stepped up onto the deck.

“Is that… wait, that doesn’t look like Yerin…?”

“Did you change your mind?”

“Who is she?”

“Ladies!” Moonbyul said with a gloved hand raised to silence them. “Please allow me to introduce… er…” and the silver-haired captain leaned in close to Seulgi and whispered in her ear. “What’s your name, anyway?”

Seulgi found herself turning to whisper back in Moonbyul’s ear. “Seulgi!”

“Miss Seulgi!” Moonbyul said loudly for all of the crew to hear. “And yes, I _did_ change my mind, Yooa, thank you very much. Seulgi’s _much_ lovelier than Yerin, wouldn’t you agree?” she continued, gently putting a gloved finger beneath Seulgi’s chin in presentation.

Seulgi was surprised, and strangely disappointed, to see most of the crew members roll their eyes and cross their arms.

“Anyway, are we setting a new course, then?” Sujeong, already approaching the helm, asked. Or, well, Seulgi assumed it was the helm, though it was really more like a station covered with levers and dials, with no discernable steering wheel to be found.

“Oh,” Moonbyul drawled lazily, as she kept Seulgi close with a hand at the small of her back, “I think we’ll stick around for a while. I want to make the Impresario sweat a little, since he thought he could pull a fast one on ol’ Moonbyul.” The other women on the crew grinned and settled back into their relaxed poses.

“As beautiful as you are,” the captain continued to Seulgi, “I don’t really appreciate being _stood up_.” Seulgi was struck by the blunt compliment and found difficulty in replying. Moonbyul gave her a greasy smirk and began to lead her away, down the length of the deck towards a trapdoor.

“We’ll stay until the show’s over, and then we’ll see where the wind takes us.”

+++

 

The doormen to the Opera House saw Irene bearing down on them and quickly pushed open the doors for her with frightened expressions. As she ran into the lobby, she spotted Joy walking out of the auditorium, looking around curiously.

“Joy, she’s here!” Irene shouted as she tore up the staircase that led to the dressing rooms and upper levels of the Opera House.

Startled, but quickly moving into action, Joy ran to the coat check and banged on the little bell on the desk. “Hello?!”

A sleepy attendant came up to the desk and narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you have your number?” he asked, barely concealing his annoyance at Joy’s rushed manners.

“ _IT’S THE CHAINSAW. JUST GET IT_ ,” she shouted at him, causing his eyes to widen, and he scurried away.

Irene flew up the stairs three at a time, and ushers and other staff had to press themselves against the walls to avoid being pushed aside by her. While she didn’t think that gadabout Moonbyul would do anything to _actually_ harm Seulgi, Irene didn’t trust the captain alone with someone as naive and trusting as the chocobo rancher for an instant.

“The roof?!” she barked at an attendant as she came to the top landing of the staircase. The poor soul pointed a shaking finger at a door down at the far end of the hall, and Irene was off again. If Yeri wasn’t in pursuit as well, wherever she was, there was the distinct possibility that the captain could take off in her airship with Seulgi in tow, and fly away to Odin knew where. Irene wasn’t going to let that happen.

She slowed only as she reached out to wrench the handle of the door open, and gave the iron fire escape outside a cautionary glance before growling and pounding her way up the metal steps. Irene had a sudden errant thought, as she finally reached the roof and saw the rope tethers holding the airship in place where it hovered several dozens of feet above the Opera House. It was a thought that perhaps should have occurred to her a little earlier in their planning: she was afraid of heights.

But she wasted no time sheathing her blade and grasping onto the nearest rope in order to climb up onto the ship. As she quickly pulled herself up, hand over hand, she saw another figure doing the same out of the corner of her eye: a blonde woman in a tuxedo, with a dagger clenched between her teeth. Irene and Yeri reached the deck of the ship at the same time and hurtled over the railing, landing amongst a rather bored, and now stunned, crew.

“And just who are _you_ two supposed to be-?” Somi, a rather tall woman in a white shirt and vest began to ask, before Irene drew her sword again.

“Irene, wait-”

“Where’s your captain?” Irene asked back, and there was the noise of multiple weapons being unsheathed - and of musket hammers being cocked.

"FLASH OUT!” Yeri suddenly yelled and years of military training had Irene instinctively closing her eyes as the deck lit up in a brilliant, white light. “Go find Seulgi!” Yeri called to Irene as the two of them crouched together amidst the cries and yells of the crew. “I’ll hold them off here. They know me - they won’t _really_ hurt me. Hopefully.”  

Irene was only reassured by a certain dreaded noise sounding from where they had alighted on the deck moments ago.

_BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…!!!_

“Go!” Yeri admonished, giving the ex-general a shove towards a trapdoor that presumably led to belowdeck.

+++

 

It wasn’t clear what Captain Moonbyul thought of Seulgi’s easy compliance, walking through every door the airship pilot opened for her, and taking her hand to be helped down the surprisingly elegant spiral staircase that led into a brightly lit, and well-furnished parlor. Did she think Seulgi was yet another enchanted girl, swept off her feet by the dashing captain? Hopefully she didn’t suspect that there was more to it than that, and wouldn’t see through Seulgi’s willingness to cooperate.

But as she began to examine her surroundings, ‘enchanted’ may have adequately described Seulgi's feelings about the ship after all. It was a stark contrast to the spartan interior of the Returner’s cutter, and Seulgi saw immediately what Joy had meant about the airship being little more than a flying casino: Set up here and there amongst shining brass tangles of pipes and tanks, protruding up from the polished wooden floor, were indeed game tables with bright green felt tops upon which stacks of chips and piles of dice waited, ready for play.

“Do you like it?” Moonbyul asked as she watched Seulgi turn about the room. She let her pleased grin drop as Seulgi looked away.

This was starting to get old.

“It’s _really_ nice,” Seulgi answered, surprising herself with her breathless admission.  

She was so busy marveling at the carved moulding and richly upholstered furniture that she didn’t notice Moonbyul’s approach until she felt an arm around her waist and the captain’s lips upon hers. She was so stunned by the forceful - yet also curiously delicate - attack that she didn’t know how to respond.

But she didn’t have to.

Irene had Moonbyul pinned to the wall with the blade of her sabre against her throat so fast, that both Seulgi and Moonbyul could only blink in surprise. Seulgi hadn’t even noticed Irene coming into the room, but now that she had begun to recover from Moonbyul's assault, she thought she could hear the faint sounds of a conflict coming from up on the deck.

“Captain Moon Byuli, ace airship pilot, and _notorious philanderer_ ,” Irene growled.

“Chill, Ice Princess,” Moonbyul said as she raised her hands up defenselessly. Her shock at being accosted was quickly replaced with bemusement at seeing Irene. “Although I _do_ always appreciate it when my reputation precedes me~”

Irene glared at her, the epithet egging her on as she pressed the edge of her blade harder against the captain’s skin. “ _What_ did you call me?” she whispered dangerously.

Their faces were only inches apart, and Irene could see a strange, tired, almost lazy look to Moonbyul’s eyes as she held her fierce gaze. The silver-haired captain tried to swallow past the blade, but hissed as she felt it cut through the first few layers of skin.

“Do you really think I don’t know who you are?” Moonbyul asked. “I make it my business to keep track of all the cuties in... and _out_ of the Empire,” she explained with a sly smirk, emphasizing the last part meaningfully.

“The real question is, what is _ex_ -Imperial General Bae Irene doing on my ship?”

The ‘Ice Princess’ froze at her full title being announced so leisurely in front of Seulgi. She had little to worry about at this stage in their plans, as she heard the growing roar of Joy’s chainsaw approaching the trapdoor at the top of the staircase. They basically had control of the ship, whether or not its _pilot_ decided to comply with their demands. Seulgi’s part in their scheme was over. So what if she knew that Irene had been the chief architect of the fall of Maranda and Doma, among the countless other hamlets she had ordered the subjugation of? Seulgi was free to go if she didn’t want to be associated with her brother’s murderer.

It didn’t matter anymore.

Right?

With great mental effort, Irene composed herself and lowered her sword. They were here to negotiate. _That_ was her priority currently. Moonbyul took a brief moment to feel at her neck, checking her gloved fingers for blood.

“They said you have the only airship in the world,” Irene stated.

Something in the captain’s greasy smile broke; it was a fine, hairline fracture of a of a crack, almost gone before Irene noticed it, and Moonbyul suddenly spread her arms and twirled.

“And isn’t she a _beauty_? Welcome to the Blackjack, ladies! How may I be of service~?” She bowed with a flourish and waited.

Seulgi was still reeling from the bizarre series of events, and despite that splash of cold water dumped on her at having her worst fears about Irene confirmed, she had to admit she was impressed at how coolly Irene had handled the libertine captain. The kiss itself had easily been the _least_ startling incident of the evening, though the heady feeling it had left her with had only been made worse by Moonbyul’s continued carefree antics. The whole thing felt _unreal_. Like an act. It seemed to be part of the running theme for the day’s events.

“We need your ship,” Irene stated, again in that cold tone. She finally sheathed her sword and rested her hand upon its hilt.

Moonbyul slowly rose from her bowed position, a sudden glint of interest in her eyes as she watched Irene. “And what do you need it _for_?”

Seulgi watched Irene carefully. Despite Yeri’s attempts to persuade her otherwise, Seulgi’s confidence in Irene’s motivations still wavered, and the character of the captain was entirely unknown. How much could they trust this would-be kidnapper… and philanderer, as Irene had put it?

Irene seemed to be considering the same thing, as she glared levelly at the captain.

But what other choice did they have?

“Vector. The Imperial capital...” Seulgi began haltingly. Irene glanced back at her, but didn’t try to stop her.

The glimmer of intrigue in Moonbyul’s eyes shone brighter.

“We need you to take us there.”

“We’d never get close enough by land,” Irene added begrudgingly. “Security’s too tight.”

Moonbyul tugged at the cuffs of her long, embroidered coat idly. “And what’s in it for _me_?”

Irene and Seulgi exchanged a look, but they couldn’t hold each other's gazes for long. Irene finally spoke up. “Fame? Glory? The knowledge that you helped take down the Gestahlian Empire and saved the world from tyrannical domination?”

“Yawn~” Moonbyul sighed, covering her mouth with a gloved hand in mock boredom. “How about… a little _wager_ ~?” she suggested instead, lifting her eyebrows.

Incredible. Just when Irene thought she had this woman pegged, she refuses such easy bait.

“What kind of wager?” Irene asked warily.

“Simple,” Moonbyul said with a shrug as she crossed her arms. “If you win, I’ll take you wherever you want to go. But if I win…” she lilted, pausing dramatically.

“ _She_ agrees to marry me,” the silver-haired captain finished, staring right at Seulgi.

“ _WHAT?!_ ” Irene squawked, drawing her blade once more.

Moonbyul laughed and spread her arms wide, taunting Irene. “Those are my terms. Take ‘em or leave ‘em, _sweetheart_ ~”

Seulgi’s life flashed before her eyes. She thought she was just supposed to be a _stand in_ for Yerin, that Moonbyul had been intending to elope with the prima donna, and now she just so casually _changes_ her intended? Seulgi was strangely offended, beneath her layers of embarrassment and indignation.

“You’re _crazy_!” Irene exclaimed. “You’re going to take us to the capital or-”

Seulgi put a hand on Irene’s shoulder and the ex-general immediately quieted in surprise.

“What do we really have to lose?” Seulgi asked her. Seulgi thought she saw Irene lose a little color at that, and while the idea of Irene being scared of something was disturbing in and of itself, she wasn’t sure what it was that the ex-general might be afraid of. “Either we win, and stop the Empire,” she explained, trying to catch Irene’s dodging gaze, “or we lose, and it’s all over anyway.” If Irene really wanted to take down Gestahl the way Yeri claimed she did, then she should be willing to play Moonbyul’s game, right? Why was she hesitating?

Moonbyul laughed suddenly and clapped her hands. “That’s the spirit!”

Seulgi rolled her eyes. “So how do we decide?” she asked.

The captain put a hand to her chin in thought. “I guess I didn’t think that far ahead. I didn’t think you’d go for it, honestly.”

“Rock, paper, scissors,” Irene barked suddenly, and Seulgi tried to keep a neutral expression. If there was one thing she could trust about Irene after weeks of traveling together, it was her skill in rock, paper, scissors.

Moonbyul shrugged with an easy smile. “Fine, best two out of three?”

+++

 

The moon was hanging low over the black water, creating a rippling streak of light that stretched all the way to the shore and casting the strip of beach in a blueish hue. The crisp fall air picked up with a whistle as it whipped past the flaps of canvas and between the rope nets of the Blackjack. It tugged at Moonbyul’s long, silver hair, and she gathered it up with a navy-colored silk ribbon as she stared out at the sea.

What would  _she_  have thought of all this?

“The show’s been over for a while… are we going to leave soon?” Yooa asked, gracefully hopping down from rigging to the deck.

“...Captain? What’s wrong?”

Moonbyul leaned out over the railing and peered down at the quiet Opera House below with a faint smile. 

“I lost,” she chuckled.

She could almost hear it, faint upon the wind: that loud, obnoxious voice that had been so full of life, shouting with a finger raised high in the air.

 

_"Let's go!"_


	14. Theme of Suspicion

 

 

_“So what rank are you?”_

_Irene looked over at Wendy with a light frown._

_Wendy was swaying back and forth in her seat until she eventually bumped Irene’s shoulder. The latter didn’t push back, but also didn’t protest._

_“You’re in the army, right? Even though you’re so young, I heard you’re already an officer,” the little Witch continued._

_Heard from whom? Irene couldn’t help but wonder. She realized she knew very little about Wendy outside of the confines of this practice room. She never saw her in the iron halls of the fortress, nor out on the training grounds, and she certainly had never seen her in the officers’ barracks. But as curious as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to ask about any of it._

_Irene wasn’t sure when she had started making a point of showing up to her fencing lesson early - perhaps when it had become_ their _fencing lesson - but she tried to be as nonchalant about it as possible. She would come and sit next to Wendy, who was somehow always there before her, and would eventually find herself pulled into a conversation much like today, despite her every intention to resist._

_“... I’m just a sergeant,” Irene finally answered, and Wendy giggled._

_“That sounds important! Do you wear a special uniform?”_

_Irene shook her head. “No. I… haven’t gone out into the field yet,” she admitted. The Emperor and the Chief Engineer had plans for her, and they didn’t involve being deployed until she was ready._

_“Oh,” was all Wendy said for a moment. Then she finally added, “Me neither.”_

_Irene watched her silently as Wendy looked down. The younger girl kicked her feet idly beneath her seat, and there was a faint smile curling one corner of her mouth._

_“... You know,” Irene began again after a moment. “They’re going to make me like you.” She thought she had made her piece with the idea a long time ago; she had been selected early on thanks to some compatability with Heechul’s formulae and research - all things that went beyond her head. But meeting Wendy had made her become more aware of the way the little Witch was treated and talked about in the officers’ barracks, and it worried her._

_Wendy’s eyes glittered as she suddenly looked up at Irene. “Wait, what do you mean like me? You mean… you mean_ magic _?” she asked in a conspiratory whisper, barely able to contain her excitement._

_But Irene nodded with such solemnity, that Wendy’s smile quickly faded. She reached over and took Irene’s hand, threading their fingers together. It was an oddly mature gesture for someone who wasn’t even in her teens, and Irene was so taken aback by it, she simply froze and allowed Wendy to do as she wished._

_“... Are you scared?” Wendy asked quietly._

_It was a long moment before Irene nodded again, and Wendy could see the young sergeant’s eyes watering._

_Wendy scooted her chair closer to Irene’s and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Irene squeezed her eyes shut as she allowed herself to be pulled into a hug._

_“I don’t want to be a monster,” she quietly cried against Wendy’s shoulder._

_Wendy stroked Irene’s hair as she held her, looking up and blinking away the tears that were beginning to form in her own eyes._

_“Me neither,” she whispered to Irene. “Me neither.”_

+++

 

After spending a very odd - and somewhat awkward - night on Moonbyul’s ‘flying casino’, the Returners had been able to go back into the Opera House to retrieve Seulgi’s sword and tuxedo, returning the showy ballgown to its rightful owner. When they returned, Moonbyul had been a little confused at their request to head back to Jidoor first before going on to Vector, but Seulgi explained that they needed to get her pet chocobo, Boko, from their cutter moored in the harbor. Overhearing this, the crew of the Blackjack squealed so much about it that Moonbyul had been forced belowdeck to escape all the noise and simply left the helm to Sujeong.

Irene had been quick to follow after the captain, not quite sure she could stomach watching the ground disappear below the layer of clouds as they backtracked up the coast. She waited until Moonbyul disappeared into her cabin, then began to wander her way towards the main gallery, back to where she had first confronted Moonbyul in the act of assaulting Seulgi. The memory hardened her frown.

“Marry her. Ridiculous,” she muttered, but paused when she heard footsteps coming down the spiral staircase from the deck behind her. She turned and saw the victim in question. “Seulgi…”

Seulgi’s brows furrowed as she paused on the landing. They stared for a moment, searching each other’s expressions for some sense of understanding, but the floor lurched beneath them as the ship began to take off from the Opera House. Before Irene could fully recover from being jostled into the wood paneling of the hallway, Seulgi quickly ducked into a side room.

“Seulgi-!” Irene called after her, just as the door shut. It wasn’t like Seulgi to be so evasive, which made Irene wonder if she was past the shock of all of the events from last night and was purposefully trying to avoid her. She quickly went to the door, but hesitated a moment with her hand on the handle, wondering if she should give Seulgi some space. There was no way Seulgi could have missed Moonbyul talking about her title and past so carelessly the night before, and what could really be done about it, anyway?

She’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t a little relieved that Seulgi finally knew the truth. Maybe now Seulgi would push her away, and they could stop… whatever this was.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips before turning the handle.

A cloud of steam greeted her as she entered what she could only guess was the engine room; it was filled with brass and copper tanks lining a narrow wooden walkway that wound back and forth through the room. She had to duck and twist to avoid the many levers and pipes as she shuffled along quickly, trying to chase after Seulgi. She could already feel sweat beading along her brow from the humidity, and the gauges with twitching needles that she passed only confirmed that the engines were hard at work keeping the ship aloft.

She finally caught up with Seulgi where she stood in front of a ladder that looked like it led back up to the deck. She was staring up at it with her shoulders drooped as if in defeat. Was she tired of running? Irene hoped so. She was ready for Seulgi’s harsh words. She was ready for the accusations and the blame. She was ready to feel the burden of her crimes, for the verdict of the thousands of deaths committed under her orders in Seulgi’s harsh gaze.

Except Seulgi didn’t turn.

Seulgi didn’t speak.

Seulgi placed her foot on the bottom rung of the ladder.

“Wait!” Irene called out, surprising herself. She must have surprised Seulgi too, because she thought she saw the rancher’s shoulders raise slightly. But Irene couldn’t think of what else to say now that she finally had Seulgi right there in front of her. Thankfully, it was Seulgi who broke the silence, over the sharp pings sounding in the copper tanks nearby.

“Did you order the attack on Doma?” Seulgi asked quietly.

“... No.”

“Why?”

Why. Her troops were tired, Doma wasn’t budging, the Emperor was impatient, the Court Wizard was watching her every move for any signs of weakness. Why hadn’t she just given the order for a quick resolution?

Because Leeteuk had been testing her.

“Because it wasn’t right. I wanted to wait for more soldiers, I wanted-” but she stopped herself. She could hear her own frustration- no, _desperation_ in her tone. But she didn’t want to try to explain herself to Seulgi. There was some morbid part of her that felt like she deserved this reproach, even in spite of all the reasons she had worked through at the time.

“So they arrested you?” Seulgi asked, still with her back to Irene.

“They did.”

“And they were going to execute you?”

“... They were,” she confirmed, barely whispering over the hissing of the pressure tanks. She didn’t question how Seulgi already knew those final details, but she couldn’t bring herself to dwell on it in the face of Seulgi’s impending judgement. Despite Leeteuk giving the final order, she still felt responsible for Seulgi’s loss, her pain.

But Seulgi turned and hugged her, even before Irene could get a look at what expression she was wearing.

“I’m sorry,” Seulgi said against her shoulder.

Irene was stunned and stood there stiffly. “You’re…? But why?”

“I tried to hate you. I really did. My brother… “ Was Seulgi crying? Irene carefully brought her arms up and hugged Seulgi, rubbing her back.

“You wouldn’t be wrong to hate me, you know.”

“But you didn’t do it,” Seulgi protested, hugging her tighter.

“I did so _much_ , though, Seulgi. I’ve done terrible things,” Irene murmured, tears welling up in her eyes. Why couldn’t Seulgi just hate her? Why couldn’t Seulgi yell or draw her sword? Why was Seulgi seeking comfort from an Imperial General?

And why did Irene want nothing more than to give her that peace of mind?

Seulgi iterated a thought Yeri had tried to impress upon her back in the Opera House. “You were only doing what you had to do. And I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Irene breathed out in disbelief. She didn’t deserve this sympathy. Seulgi’s innocence and understanding was almost frustrating.

“I’m just sorry you had to go through that. Yeri told me. She told me you lost everything.”

Irene tried to squeeze her eyes shut before the first tears fell, but Seulgi’s forgiveness was an entirely new sensation for her.

 

_“It’s not your fault.”_

_“It is!” Wendy sobbed. “I killed them. I killed them_ all _.”_

_Irene pulled Wendy’s head against her shoulder and held her there. “It wasn’t you- it_ wasn’t _,” she insisted firmly while Wendy tried to protest. “It was him. He made you do it.”_

_Leeteuk had finally done it. He had finally discovered a way to destroy this kind, hopeful, beautiful girl._

_He had created the Slave Crown._

_“How can you even stand to look at me?” Wendy whispered against her uniform. She was warm all over, and for a brief moment Irene felt terrible, because the instinctual fear of Wendy not being in control of herself and igniting that entire platoon of soldiers on fire had quite literally burned itself into her memory. Bombs, explosions, energy beams from Magitek Armor, Irene had seen her soldiers die from it all, but there had been something horrifying - something truly_ monstrous _\- about the way Wendy had melted those men, the way their flesh had sloughed off of their bodies in burning chunks, the way they stood in place with their heads hung back, mouths agape as the sheer heat of Wendy’s attack caused their internal organs to shut down, killing them even before the wave of flames overtook them._

_Barely out of her teens, Wendy now had a personal killcount higher than most senior-ranking officers and campaign veterans._

_“Because I know you,” Irene murmured to her. “You would never_ ever _do something like that.”_

_But she_ had _. And the Emperor had been impressed. And Leeteuk had leered at Irene as he promised the Emperor that Wendy would be able to do it on command, that all he would need to do was give the order, and any of the Empire’s enemies would succumb to an apocalyptic inferno devastating enough to destroy not just the very fabric of whatever kingdom fell in her path, but also irreversibly demoralize any survivors. All under his careful guidance._

_“What do you think, Commander?” Leeteuk had asked Irene after the demonstration. “I can’t_ wait _to show you up in the field with my new toy~”_

_And Irene had sworn right then and there that she would do whatever it took to make sure the Empire_ never _needed to use the Witch to win a battle, even if that meant becoming the general and winning this entire war by herself._

 

She never wanted to have to comfort Wendy like that ever again, so she had taken on the role of ‘monster’ herself.

She pushed away from Seulgi, faltering only when she saw the redness in the rancher’s eyes. “I may not be responsible for Doma, Seulgi, but I did order the attack on Maranda. I personally led troops into South Figaro, Joy’s vassal city. I’ve killed so many, Seulgi. And they weren’t all soldiers,” she continued, lifting her chin and forcing herself to hold Seulgi’s gaze. “Some of them were just like you. They were just civilians, trying to defend their homes.”

“But you taught _this_ civilian how to fight!” Seulgi argued. Finally there was that anger Irene had been expecting, though it was manifesting itself… in her defense? “You’re working _against_ the Empire now! You decided to do what’s right!”

“What’s right,” Irene repeated hollowly. “... What’s right, Seulgi?” How could she even pretend to know when she still second-guessed her decision at Doma? Leeteuk had made it so easy for her: he had planned it all out and set it up. If she had given the order, she would still be a general. If she had committed the genocide, she could still protect Wendy.

If she was the kind of person who did what was right, if she was the kind of person Seulgi wanted to believe she was, she wouldn’t be questioning herself like this.

Seulgi was slowly coming to the realization that it wasn’t just the Empire that Irene was fighting against, and it was like a candle had been blown out and she was stumbling around in the dark. Fumbling, she hesitatingly reached out and took Irene’s hands in her own. They were cold. _Unnaturally_ cold in the sweltering heat of the engine room, but she held them carefully, unflinchingly.

What did Seulgi really know about any of this? Who was she to say what was right? “I can’t tell you that,” Seulgi said quietly. She wanted to say more, but the words stuck in her throat. All she knew was that Irene had never looked so completely alone and fragile to her before.

“But I’ve seen you do good things, Irene. I know what you’re capable of.” She hated the way Irene was lifelessly staring at their hands. “Do you remember when we first met?” she asked.

“Don’t,” Irene breathed, feeling defeated.

“Do you? Out on the Veldt after I chased you down? You could have killed me.” Seulgi brought Irene’s hands together in her own and held them up close to her chest, wishing she could dispel that iciness. “It would have been so easy. I even attacked you! ...But you didn’t. You even protected me. Do you remember?”

Of course she remembered, after days and days of running and hiding, no rest, no food, and the constant threat of being hunted down by her own soldiers. How could she forget Seulgi’s kindness and willingness to help?

“Of course I had to protect you,” Irene murmured as she stepped forward and rested her forehead against Seulgi’s shoulder, staring at their feet. “You’ve been useless from the start. No armor, no swordskills,” she began as she took one of her hands away and lightly jabbed Seulgi in the ribs. “No money, no campaign experience,” another soft jab. “No regard for your own safety, no-”

Seulgi leaned away and lifted her chin with a hand, forcing Irene to meet her bemused gaze.

“... No idea what we’re up against, n-no navigational skills…” Irene faltered, her eyebrows knitting together as Seulgi began to slowly smile. “And no idea who I was. Who I _am_.”

Seulgi timidly brushed her thumb over the line of Irene’s jaw, and an uneasy breath blew from between Irene’s lips.

“I know who you are _now_ ,” Seulgi spoke quietly, her thumb tracing the outline of Irene’s bottom lip. Irene’s eyes fluttered shut at her touch, and she felt Seulgi press a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. Everything about Seulgi was so gentle, it almost hurt. But before Seulgi could pull away, Irene turned her head and pulled her into a full kiss. A silent thank you for Seulgi’s adamant refusal to place any blame on her, for Seulgi's trust and acceptance.      

And Seulgi smiled against her mouth as she felt Irene's hands finally begin to warm. Maybe she wasn’t quite as useless as Irene claimed she was.

“And besides,” Seulgi continued the thought aloud in a breathy laugh as they parted and she leaned her forehead against Irene’s. "I look pretty good in a suit.”


	15. Setzer's Theme

Seulgi  _ did _ look good in a suit, and Irene found herself lightly fingering the blonde’s lapels as she finally opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed, however, was not Seulgi’s soft, warm gaze, nor her parted lips, curled in a faint smile, but a curious reflection in the wide copper drum behind her. 

It was the dull image of two figures - one redhead, and one with long, silvery hair gathered back in a ponytail - poking their heads out from behind a tangle of brass levers and pipes. Irene squinted for a moment before her eyes widened, realizing what she was seeing.

Seulgi found herself being shoved away roughly, but before she could topple backwards into the ladder, Irene caught her dress shirt in one tight fist, holding her at arm’s length. Seulgi looked at Irene in surprise and confusion as she noticed Irene’s furious gaze directed back towards the room. Everything above Irene's stiff white collar was a bright red, up to the tips of her ears as she barked out a command.

“You two! Show yourselves!” And now Seulgi had a little more context for Irene’s ruthless demeanor, knowing that she had been a general at the head of thousands of troops. Irene's assertiveness wasn’t entirely off-putting… but Seulgi figured now wasn’t quite the time for such thoughts.

But instead of heeding Irene's order, Captain Moon Byuli, ace airship pilot and notorious philanderer, and Queen Sooyoung, the Joy of Figaro, both took off back down the length of the engine room at a dead sprint.

“I guess the tour ends here…!” Moonbyul shouted back at Joy as she hastily threaded her way back towards the door, dodging pipes and bulging tanks.

“I learned a lot…!” Joy assured her breathlessly as she struggled to keep up. “A lot more than I had ever intended to!”

Irene took a step after them, almost tugging Seulgi along until she realized she still had a grip on the poor girl. She paused, not quite able to meet Seulgi’s gaze, though she did turn and smooth the wrinkles she had created in the poor girl's shirt. With another lingering look at her lips, Irene finally, shyly peeked up at Seulgi’s bewildered face before racing off after the two voyeurs. 

Seulgi was left all alone, unable to determine if the hissing she was hearing was coming from the steam in the pipes around her, or the blood rushing through her own ears. She unsteadily took a seat on a rung of the ladder behind herself with a lopsided smile, in too much of a daze to fully comprehend the situation.

+++

 

“What do you think?” a slightly bruised Moonbyul asked, seeing Seulgi agape at the sight of the approaching Jidoor cityscape as they descended through the clouds. 

Seulgi gripped the rigging tightly as she all but leaned out over the railing in her eagerness to take in the sight. The thrill of flying had certainly cleared her head of the heat from the engine room - and all that had occurred therein - but the bright, clean neighborhoods of Jidoor interspersed with its lush green gardens and parks were hypnotizing her in a completely new way.

Even the few times she had gone hiking into the foothills of the mountains between Mobliz and Doma, she had never seen a view quite like this before, up so high.

“I don’t know why you’d ever want to land,” she answered as she drank in the scene.

Moonbyul smirked. “I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to,” she admitted. “But, I’m at your dear leader’s mercy, unfortunately.” She gave Seulgi a little nudge, finally getting the rancher to look at her.

"Which reminds me." The captain waggled her eyebrows. “So, I guess this means the wedding’s off, right?”

It took Seulgi a moment to realize what Moonbyul could be referring to, and both of the implications of her statement caused her to become rather embarrassed.

“There was never-! I thought you were  _ joking _ !” she sputtered in disbelief.

Moonbyul tossed her head. “I never joke when it comes to love!” she argued, with a gloved hand over her chest.

Seulgi was starting to understand Irene’s revulsion of the captain. “Are you saying you really would have married me if Irene had lost?”

Moonbyul gave her a big smile that crinkled her nose. “Why not? You’re cute, and life’s short. Why wait?” She turned away to lean heavily on the railing, looking out at the faint mountain range barely cresting over the inland horizon. “... Why wait?”

Seulgi was saved from responding to Moonbyul’s sudden change of mood by Sujeong's call from the helm: “Landfall!” The crew began preparing to ground the ship, and Moonbyul seemed to recover and gave Seulgi a wink before striding off to give orders to her crew.

Irene came up to the deck only after she had been completely sure that they had stopped moving, but by the time she opened the trapdoor and stepped out into the cool sea air of Jidoor’s harbor, the other Returners had already left to go retrieve their belongings from their cutter. With the only item in her possession strapped to her hip, she was left with little to do but wait, and waiting meant _thinking_.

And thinking meant replaying that kiss over and over again in her mind until she was sure she was bright red from frustration and embarrassment.

They were mere days away from infiltrating the Gestahlian capital of Vector, and here she was recklessly falling for one of the strays, as Joy liked to call the new recruits they picked up. Technically Irene was a stray herself, however, and as she heard the faint, yet tell-tale “Kweh!” of the girls’ return to the ship, she realized she was only more confused now about the rancher than she had been before.

But at least she and the large yellow chocobo had something of an understanding. The crew of the Blackjack helped strap Boko into a harness to hoist him up onto the deck with a cargo crane - all while he let out a series of rather undignified kwehs - and the Returners soon followed, climbing up the rope ladder one by one. 

Irene immediately made her way over to Boko and hugged his great head to herself, almost in a spiteful manner as she glared over at Seulgi who, for her part, looked both very shy and a little confused as she met Irene’s eyes.

“Alright!” Moonbyul said loudly for her crew to hear. “We’ll ship off in about two hours. Sujeong, why don’t you take the girls to do a little shopping, hmm? I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff we could stock up on for our trip south.” The captain pressed a considerable sum of money into the helmsman’s hands and began herding the crew towards the rope ladder that the Returners had just finished scaling.

“Yooa? Eunae? You too. Keep an eye on Somi - hey, don’t look at me like that; remember what happened in Zozo?”

“What  _ almost _ happened,” Somi pouted, though its effect was quite lost on the much shorter Moonbyul. The captain simply stared up at her for a moment, and then turned her gaze on the rest of her crew, one by one.

“Be careful and watch out for each other, okay?” was all she said as she waved them all off. There were confused looks exchanged amongst the crew as they filed down from the ship. 

Joy made a move to follow after, muttering about why Moonbyul hadn’t said something sooner to save her the climb, but the silver-haired captain held out a hand to stop her. Joy stared at the outstretched hand and was about to make an indignant comment, but Moonbyul hushed her.

“Just wait,” she said with a faint smile. She counted in her head until she guessed enough time had passed, and then turned to the insulted queen and the rest of the Returners.

“So, is everyone ready to go?”

Seulgi startled and looked back at the crew of the Blackjack disappearing into the crowds on Jidoor’s pier. “Wait, what do you mean? Aren’t we waiting for them to come back?” 

Irene narrowed her eyes at the captain shrewdly.

Moonbyul wagged a gloved finger at the rancher. “Ah, well, I’m the one who made that bet to take you guys to Vector. Not them.”

“You don’t think we’re coming back,” Irene stated as she pensively stroked Boko’s feathers.

Moonbyul gaver her an easy smile. “What right do I have to drag them on a mission like this? Me, however?” she continued grandiosely.

“My life is a chip in your pile. Ante up!” And she gave Irene a rakish wink as she made her way towards the helm.

“I knew it!” Yooa shouted from over the side of the railing, out of sight.

“Ugh!” Somi groaned as she threw herself back up onto the deck.

“You owe me, squirt,” Sohee said triumphantly as she pat Somi on the back, climbing over her collapsed form to board the ship.

Moonbyul whirled around in shock. “What are you doing here still?!” 

“Since when do you ask us to watch out for each other?” Yooa asked back with her hands on her hips and a brow raised.

“Yeah, that was kind of a dead giveaway that you were up to something,” Sohee agreed as she helped Somi up.

“And here I trusted you! Now I have to do Sohee’s chores for a week,” Somi grumbled at the captain.

Moonbyul couldn’t help a faint grin, but she still crossed her arms. “Do you guys even understand where we’re going?” she asked. She had been a little vague on the details from the night before; she was sure half the crew thought she and Seulgi had actually eloped.

“Vector, right?” Yooa asked nonchalantly, though Somi and Sohee looked a little apprehensive.

Moonbyul watched them closely, putting on her most captain-y expression. “That’s right, the military capital of the Gestahlian Empire. You know, full of soldiers and Magitek Armor? And the Court Wizard and that Witch?”

Irene took a step forward, her fists clenched, but paused and inhaled a deep breath. She knew better. This was how they looked to the outside world. They were a team to be feared: the Court Wizard, the General, and the Witch. They had  _ wanted _ it to be that way.

“Yeah, yeah,” Yooa snidely remarked, waving the threats away with a hand. “A doomed mission, impending death, possible capture and torture, enslavement, blah blah blah.” Somi and Sohee looked at her with more than a little fear in their eyes.

“Is that supposed to scare us? It’ll take a little more than that before we’ll abandon our captain, right girls?” she asked her two companions. They finally seemed to quell their anxieties and gave Yooa resolute nods, crossing their arms in unison and staring Moonbyul down challengingly.

Moonbyul smirked and she tossed her head. “You know, I could just  _ order _ you guys to stay.”

Now it was Sohee’s turn to deride her captain. “It’s cute that you think we’d listen.”

The notorious airship captain was quickly losing face not only in front of her crew, but also her guests. She glanced at the Returners and gave an exasperated sigh before turning back to her crew. “You don’t have to do this, you know. I wasn’t even going to ask if you wanted to come.”

“What, not go and miss the one time Captain Moon Byuli, knave of the skies, does the right thing for a change?” Sohee teased.

“Exactly!” Moonbyul responded emphatically. “I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, after all.”

Yooa rolled her eyes and strutted over to the helm, planting herself firmly between it and her captain. “Well too bad. Because now you’re going to wait until Sujeong and everyone gets back, and we’ll all be able to tease you about it the whole way there.”

Irene was stunned by the entire exchange, witnessing the loyalty of Moonbyul’s crew despite her… well, despite  _ her _ . She hadn’t missed the way Yooa seemed to conveniently leave off any mention of their return _from_ Vector, as if they were fully prepared to follow Moonbyul into the depths of Bahamut’s fire itself if that’s where the wind took her.

Not only was it beginning to put the captain in a new light for her, but Irene also couldn’t help but wonder if there was anyone under her own command who had ever been inspired by her leadership during her tenure as general.

She somehow doubted it.

+++

 

An already long day was about to be made even longer as Imperial General Jung Eunji noticed Leeteuk walking in her direction. She had just come out of a mission debriefing with her commanders - a meeting that had reported mixed results with the various prongs of their campaign against the city-states of the Northern Continent - and the last person she wanted to see was the antagonistic Court Wizard. They seemed to be heading in opposite directions in massive, iron Great Hall of the emperor’s ziggurat, but Eunji just  _ knew _ he was going to stop her and want to annoy her in some way. He never missed an opportunity if he could help it.

She briefly considered ducking into the wings to avoid having to talk to him, but she saw that he had already noticed her and changed the direction of his gleeful gait to greet her.

“Ah, General Jung~” he lilted over to her with a wave of his gloved fingers, his grating voice echoing about the otherwise empty Hall.

She briefly closed her eyes and prayed to Seraph for patience. “What do you want?” Well, so much for patience.

Leeteuk put a hand to his chest as he stopped in front of her. “My dear general, I am wounded. Surely now that you’ve been promoted we can take this as an opportunity to repair our friendship?”

He wasn’t fooling anyone. Eunji could see the insincere glint in his eyes, despite his mournful expression. “We’ve never been friends,” she countered, crossing her arms before her itching trigger fingers could give her rising irritation away. “I took the promotion to make sure you didn’t get into anymore trouble than necessary.”  

“Oh, I  _ know _ why you took the promotion,  _ General _ Jung,” Leeteuk drawled, dropping his hurt act.  “You think you can _protect_ her.” 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Eunji growled, and Leeteuk smiled widely, already getting  _ exactly _ the kind of reaction that he had been looking for out of the gunslinging general.

Leeteuk let out a gravelly chuckle. “I think I understand  _ completely _ . I saw it once before in your mentor, the  _ previous _ general, and I can also see it in  _ you _ ,” he replied, lowering his voice to a dangerous whisper.

Eunji grit her teeth as she watched him, unwittingly fingering the handle of one of her pistols. He had said so much in so few sentences that Eunji was using every last ounce of her self-control to not put another hole in that annoying face of his.

“You think you’ve got it all figured out,” she said levelly, though the strain in her voice was clear. “But you have no  _ idea _ what those two had.” It was a painful admission, but coming to her old senior officer’s defense came naturally to her after so many years in the field together. “I _know_ you tricked Irene into committing treason. And you’re an idiot if you think I don't know that you’re already planning on doing the same to me if I don’t play your games, but you’ll  _ never _ break the bond that they have.” She raised her chin and allowed herself a small victorious grin. “Someone like  _ you _ could never understand what love is.” 

But Leeteuk was satisfied, and his expression didn’t falter. This girl would be just as easy to crack as Irene had been. Perhaps even easier. He spread his arms wide. “Bravo, General, you’ve certainly got me down to a ‘T’, don’t you? But~” he grinned at her darkly, holding her in suspense for a beat. “ _ I’m _ not the one who will break their ‘bond’,” he continued using airquotes with his fingers.

“You seem to be doing a splendid job of that already. All. By. Yourself~”

Eunji’s eyes widened at his insinuation. But before she could refute his claims, Leeteuk rushed up to her and leaned in very close to her face. She almost fell backwards in her haste to put some distance between them, but he continued to press into her personal space. 

“And just know, _G_ _ eneral _ , that if you become involved with me, you will be throwing yourself into the  _ abyss _ .” With him leaning in so close, she could see how shrewd his gaze was. His eyes were cold and wide with mania, but they were clear and focused. He wasn’t the madman everyone claimed he was, and that chilled Eunji clear to the bone.

He finally straightened after making sure his threat had been clear, and he erupted into that shrill laugh that reverberated about the Great Hall in a mocking echo.

“Uwee hee hee! That’ll be all, General! I can’t  _ wait _ to see you in the field~!” He reached out and straightened a pin on the lapel of her officer's coat, getting in one last little sting before leaving her alone to contemplate his words.


	16. What?

 

 

“Are you _really_ going to stay down here the whole time?” Moonbyul asked as she came into the main gallery below deck and saw that Irene was still at one of the game tables idly fingering a pile of poker chips.

It would be almost two full days before they would breach the Southern Continent’s interior and make their advance on Vector, and Moonbyul couldn’t imagine trying to stay inside that entire time. The Blackjack had finally left Jidoor after the return of the rest of Moonbyul’s crew, and their jeering and disbelief about how their captain had tried to maroon them in one of the most expensive cities on the Northern Continent.

The captain came and sat at Irene’s table, only slightly disappointed that the ex-general didn’t give her that usual disgusted expression. Instead, Irene simply raised a brow as Moonbyul reached into one of the table’s drawers and withdrew a deck of cards.

“I’ve been sailing the ocean for weeks,” Irene answered begrudgingly. She hoped she could use the excuse of being bored with the view to cover up her discomfort.

“But have you ever seen it from up _here_?” Moonbyul asked as she began shuffling.

Irene scowled. “I’d rather not.”

Moonbyul squinted across the table at her before setting the deck in front of Irene. Irene stared at it, then glanced back up at her warily.

“Cut it,” Moonbyul instructed, and Irene complied, mimicking an action she had seen her soldiers perform countless times while resting in the barracks. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” she asked suddenly, a shrewd expression crossing her features.

Moonbyul picked up the deck and began slowly dealing cards out one, two, one, two to the both of them. Irene scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. An Imperial General, afraid of heights.” The slight quaver in her voice belied her attempt at a calm dismissal.

“Right, how silly of me,” Moonbyul replied with a smirk. She peeked at her hand; it wasn’t a bad draw: the jack of diamonds and ten of clubs. She waited for Irene to do the same, but when she glanced over, she saw Irene hadn’t even touched her own cards. Moonbyul reached over and slid the cards closer to the ex-general with a gloved finger.

“You’re either really confident, or you have no idea how to play.”

Irene narrowed her eyes at the captain. Moonbyul’s expression told her that she wasn’t necessarily talking about the cards, though whatever game she _was_ trying to play, Irene wasn’t sure she was interested.

“I’ve never played before,” she finally admitted. She glanced at her cards the same way as Moonbyul had done: the queen of hearts and ace of spades. She had no idea what it meant, but if the gambler wanted an opponent, Irene wasn’t about to lose. “What do I do now?”

“Now? We let fate decide,” Moonbyul playfully explained as she placed three new cards on the table from the deck, revealing them face up one by one.

Irene couldn’t help rolling her eyes at Moonbyul’s seemingly incurable need for drama. She watched the cards as she laid them out. The two of clubs, the queen of spades, the ten of spades. Irene studied her own cards again for a moment before reaching over and picking up the queen of spades.

Moonbyul blinked at her. “What are you doing?”

“I want this one.”

“You can’t… you don’t…” the airship pilot couldn’t finish her sentence as she began snickering into her gloved hand.

Irene frowned severely. “Why not? You put them on the table, and I want this one. You can have one of the other cards.”

Moonbyul gave another laugh. Either they played a very odd mix of rummy and poker in the Gestahlian Empire, or Irene really hadn’t ever played before. She leaned across the table to take the card back, but Irene held it out of her reach.

“What are you doing?” It was Irene’s turn to ask.

“Putting the card back,” Moonbyul explained exasperatedly. “You don’t get to just _take_ the cards, they’re for everyone!”

“Well here, you can have this one instead, then,” Irene said, handing over her ace of spades.

Moonbyul took the card in confusion. “What? I- no, Irene, give me the card back!” She put a knee up on the table in an attempt to lengthen her reach as Irene leaned back in her seat, keeping a firm grasp on her two cards. “And don’t show me your hand!”

“Fair is fair!” Irene insisted as she turned this way and that to avoid Moonbyul’s hands. “If you wanted it, you should have taken it first!”

“But that’s not how you play!” Moonbyul exclaimed, her voice rising with her temper.

Irene quickly realized that she delighted in frustrating the captain. “You’re just angry because I took the queen! It’s not my fault you’re not fast enough,” she retorted, barely managing to keep her glare in place in the face of Moonbyul’s discomposure.

“Look, let’s… just start over,” Moonbyul strained as she finally plucked Irene’s cards from her hand.

+++

 

“How’s your head?” Yeri asked. Despite the fact that they were  _flying_ , Yeri was barely troubled by the light breeze whipping her purple bandanna into her face. She had asked Sujeong, how fast they were going, and the helmsman had replied that though the Blackjack topped out at a brisk 25 knots, they were currently holding course at around 15 knots. To a retired smuggler like Yeri she was having trouble reconciling the fact that they were moving that quickly  _through the air_. 

Joy waited until Eunae and Seulgi passed, the former timidly taking the latter around the perimeter of the deck, before answering. “It looks worse than it is,” the queen replied, gingerly touching the bump on her forehead that Irene had given her as she continued to watch the odd pair.

Yeri lightly swatted her hand away from her head so she could see. She had to stand up off of the lashed barrels they were sitting on to get a good vantage on the much taller queen, carefully brushing Joy’s fiery red hair back away from the bump. She searched blindly in her satchel as she tilted Joy’s head down, her fingers groping for a certain shape: the fluted neck of a glass potion bottle.

Joy was silent as she let Yeri do as she pleased. Joy had been pampered for most of her life; in her childhood she had always been attended by tutors or servants - even when she would manage to escape down to her father’s machines in the basement of the castle, there had still been the team of engineers keeping a wary eye on her. Into adulthood and after her coronation, she had felt even more suffocated, now by the attentions of her advisors in their attempt to support her in her role as Queen of Figaro.

But with Yeri it was different.

Or maybe Irene had hit her a little harder than she realized.

“Why’d she hit you, anyway?” Yeri asked sourly as she finally looked away to grab the potion out of her bag. Joy stayed still, kept in place by Yeri’s fingers absently touching her temple.

“I... may have seen something I shouldn’t have,” Joy intoned guiltily.

Yeri rolled her eyes as she uncorked the bottle with a pop and dabbed a bit of of the potion on her fingers. “What, did you walk in on her and farm girl kissing or something?”

Joy looked up at her in shock. “You knew?!”

“Knew? Wait, _what_?!” Yeri squawked, almost dropping the bottle. “They _kissed_? Irene and _Seulgi_?!” she shrieked.

From around the deck, six pairs of eyes looked their way and Joy jumped up and covered Yeri’s mouth with her hands. “For Odin’s sake! Keep it down!”

But it was too late. Somi, who had been swabbing the deck nearby, dropped her mop with a clatter and clapped her hands over her own mouth. “Seulgi’s _cheating_ on the captain?!” she asked the two girls. Yeri pulled Joy’s hands away so she could properly sputter at Somi.

“Cheating?? On _that_ playgirl?” she countered, matching Somi’s scandalized expression.

Seulgi, halfway down the railing from the arguing trio, buried her face in her hands as Eunae fretted beside her.

“I can’t believe you guys would take _advantage_ of her like this!” Somi continued. She suddenly turned and sprinted for the trapdoor, intent on alerting the captain about the illicit affair.

“Wait, where aRE YOU GOING?!” Joy yelled after her, but then Seulgi ran past her, chasing after Somi with Eunae close behind. Joy blinked at them, stunned at the commotion. She exchanged a look with Yeri before they both wordlessly decided to follow.

Moonbyul had just begun unbuttoning her dress shirt right as Somi stormed into the gallery. There was silence, entirely uncharacteristic for the youngest crewmember of the Blackjack, as Somi struggled to make sense of the scene before her: Moonbyul was half-sitting on the green, felt gaming table in her shirtsleeves, and Irene was standing before her with her arms crossed and a rather pleased smirk coloring her features.

And she was wearing Moonbyul’s long, embroidered coat.

And she was wearing Moonbyul’s wide, leather belt.

_And_ she was wearing Moonbyul’s knee-high boots.

The barefoot, bereft captain stared back at Somi mournfully.

“So _you’re_ cheating too?” Somi whispered in shock.

“What?” Irene and Moonbyul chorused, but before Somi could answer, Seulgi, Eunae, Joy and Yeri piled into the room behind her.

Eunae covered her eyes in embarrassment. Attempted kidnapping aside, she hadn’t realized her captain was the kind of woman to cheat on her own wife… with the person whom her wife had cheated on _her_ with.

“I didn’t cheat,” Irene refuted, with an air of haughtiness in her tone. “I won fair and square.” She hugged her new coat tightly around herself and instinctively reached for the sinch around the waist. But there wasn’t one, like there had been on her officer’s coat. Old habits, as Yeri would say. Irene pursed her lips as she met Somi’s confused gaze.

“... _What_?” Somi asked after a beat.

“No one’s cheating on anyone!” Seulgi tried to explain, pulling her hat off and running her fingers through her hair in exasperation. She looked fixedly at Somi as she continued, afraid of catching Irene’s gaze. “I’m not… _we’re_ not married,” she gestured at Moonbyul with her hat.

“O-oh.” A look of understanding slowly came over Somi's features. “Sorry for uh… interrupting then,” she apologized with a nod at Moonbyul’s half-unbuttoned shirt.

Moonbyul followed her gaze and hastily began to button back up.

“Hey, wait a second,” Irene protested, crossing her arms. The wide sleeves of Moonbyul’s coat reached nearly to the tips of her fingers, and the patterned hem would have brushed the floor had Irene not traded in her dress shoes for Moonbyul’s high-heeled boots. Overall, the garment dwarfed her figure, and Seulgi had never seen her look less like a trained killing machine. It was strangely adorable, despite the odd circumstances. “I won the last round, so I get your shirt. It’s your own rules!”

“I think we should go…” Joy began, but Yeri cut her off.

“Did you lose a bet?” the blonde asked, eyeing the cards on the table Moonbyul was leaning on.

The captain let out a low whine as she slowly started unbuttoning again. “She _keeps winning_. I can’t _wait_ until I get to drop you guys off at Vector!”

+++

 

Jung Eunji, General of the Gestahlian Imperial Army, couldn’t sleep. She tried to blame her new quarters, but she knew she was just looking for excuses. Accepting the promotion had meant finally moving out of the officers’ barracks and into the residential wing on the opposite side of the emperor’s great iron ziggurat, and the lack of constant noise from the other officers was oddly unsettling. She wondered if Irene had felt the same when she had received her new room assignment. What had it been like to move out of the only home she had ever known, and away from her soldiers?

Because for Eunji, it felt pretty lonely.

Irene had been so single-minded in her climb to the top, never afraid to outshine a superior officer or speak her mind if she had an idea. Eunji had always been one step behind her, and had watched her toil through sleepless nights and grueling campaigns in her relentless pursuit of that gold star for her lapel. It hadn’t been easy to watch Irene trade in friendship and camaraderie with her fellow officers for grabs at more power, but once Irene had reached the top, Eunji had finally understood her motivation.

Irene’s first order to her Commanders had been to halt all field assignments for the Witch.

 

_“But she’s already been deployed to Maranda,” Commander Kim Suho interjected._

_“They’re going to force an unconditional surrender so we can turn it into a second Tzen,” Commander Do Kyungsoo explained evenly, looking up at Irene from under his heavy brows._

_“New orders,” Irene stated, barely acknowledging their statements. “I will take the 32nd Battalion to Maranda personally as reinforcements. We’ll do this the old fashioned way.”_

_Commander Kim sat up in his seat. “The 32nd? It’s mostly infantry; they only have…” he paused to think for a moment, “twenty Magitek Armors.”_

_“And they’ll have_ me _,” Irene growled. “And Commander Jung.”_

_Eunji blinked. “Me? Yes, ma’am!”_

_“_ You _two?” Commander Do asked with a frown. “You both just got promoted. You should at least take one of us instead of her,” he reasoned, gesturing at the other commanders seated around the conference table._

_“Commander Jung will accompany me to Maranda. That’s an order,” Irene repeated solidly. She briefly met Eunji’s much warmer gaze with her icy stare. “We’ve had many assignments together over the years. I… I trust her.”_

 

I trust her.

But now Irene was gone. Possibly dead.

Eunji laughed to herself as she pushed aside the heavy iron doors and walked out onto the balcony of her room, which was really more of an observation deck that overlooked the large drill yard.

Irene, dead. Eunji knew it was impossible. It was going to take a lot more than a few Magitek Armors to take down the former general, but it begged the question: where was she? What was she doing? Eunji hadn’t been given the full details of Irene's treason and escape until she had received her promotion, and the circumstances suggested Irene had had help. Which meant she might have _friends_.

Well, friends inasmuch as Irene had ever been able to make friends, but Eunji had hope. Irene had somehow managed to escape this life, but Eunji worried if she’d be able to function outside of her role in the Empire. The yard far below was dark and empty, but even just the sight of it brought back the memories of the dust and the sweat, and the sounds of hundreds of soldiers grunting and shouting as they trained. It was all they knew.

Small flakes drifted across her field of vision, slowly fluttering past her and disappearing into the darkness. Snow? But it wasn’t that cold out, and it seemed a little too early for it. She reached out her hand to catch one, but instead of melting away in her palm, it left a dark grey smear. A little oily even.

Ash.

Eunji craned her head up and searched the facade of the ziggurat as it rose high above her into the gloom. She could see a faint glow coming from an opening several floors above, and she hurried back inside, not even pausing to shut her balcony doors in her haste.

She clenched her fist, feeling the stain on her palm as she grabbed her coat with her free hand and rushed out of her quarters.

+++

 

Leeteuk wasn’t _entirely_ displeased to see General Jung burst into his chambers unannounced. After all, she had been _so good_ at playing her part in his scheme so far. His suppositions had been correct; she was _far_ easier to manipulate than Irene, and had the same penchant for self-sacrifice that the Ice Princess had displayed.

It was pitiful, really.

“Uwee hee hee! My, how nice of you to join us, General~,” he lilted as he watched her compose herself in the doorway to his expansive antechamber. The Emperor’s Court Wizard and chief advisor enjoyed a few modest luxuries, including red velvet upholstered furniture, gold-trimmed and tasseled, glittering in the light of several equally garish crystalline chandeliers. The whole room was distastefully opulent, but that wasn’t what made Eunji pause.

It was the stench.

Wendy stood in the middle of the room, mutely watching the smoldering remains of what Eunji desperately wished wasn’t, but ultimately had to admit _was_ a human body. The few charred bones and piles of ash stuck to the black marble floor in a slick of melted fat, and if she had walked in on this scene about three years ago, she might have been ill, but she had unfortunately become accustomed to such sights over the past few years.

Breathing through her mouth, she swiftly marched over to Wendy and turned her away from what was left of the corpse. As expected, Wendy calmly allowed herself to be guided, under the full effects of the copper diadem resting on her head. Leeteuk’s Slave Crown.

“Should I even bother to ask who that was?” Eunji quipped angrily, ignoring the Court Wizard’s greeting. She carefully slipped the crown off of the smaller girl, frowning at the indentation it left on her forehead. At the sudden return of control of her own body, Wendy all but collapsed against Eunji with a shuddering gasp.

“Steady! I’ve got you,” the general murmured to her as she quickly wrapped her arms around Wendy, keeping her upright.

Wendy slowly looked around, trying to remember where she was. Trying to remember _anything_. She was warm, blisteringly hot, and there was smoke in the air, and a familiar overcooked smell.

She had killed again, hadn’t she?

As her gaze drifted to the floor, looking for her victim, she felt a hand gently cup her face and force her to turn her head.

“Wendy? Wendy, look at me,” Eunji quietly commanded. Wendy searched her face in confusion, and painfully Eunji counted the seconds until she saw a glimmer of recognition in the Witch’s eyes.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_Fou-_

“Eunji?” Wendy asked tentatively. Eunji forced a smile. “Oh, Eunji…” Wendy whispered as she let the general support her weight.

“Are you quite finished ruining my fun?” Leeteuk drawled in minor irritation.

“Your _fun_?” Eunji growled, sweat already trickling down her neck and soaking into the collar of her coat. Wendy was always so hot after using her magic, but Eunji wasn’t about to let her go. Not until they were far away from Leeteuk.

“She’s not a _toy_ , you clown!”

Leeteuk rolled his eyes. How many times had he already heard that one? “You think too highly of yourselves,” he cooed. “We’re _all_ the playthings of the Emperor,” he corrected darkly.

“Well I’m not sure the _Emperor_ would approve of using… using his most powerful _weapon_ for your amusement.”

She grimaced at his slow smirk. She had hesitated and he had seen right through her. He _always_ saw right through her.

“And I doubt he would approve of _your_ conflict of interest, _lovergirl_.” She had the upper hand in the argument, and he wasn’t going to debate the point, but how could he possibly resist adding that little sting?

Luckily Wendy still seemed to be in too much of a daze to pay any attention to their conversation. She could only absently stare at their dull reflections in the black marble tiles.

Eunji wanted nothing more than to break the Slave Crown over her knee and give it back to Leeteuk in pieces, but she knew that wouldn’t prevent him from making another one. And worse, it would be treason. Leeteuk had finally found Irene’s breaking point, but Eunji had promised herself that she would do whatever it took to protect Wendy, even if it meant making small concessions to the Court Wizard.

Making sure Wendy could stand up by herself, Eunji carefully pulled away so she could hand Leeteuk the Slave Crown.

“How cooperative~” he noted, giving her that taunting smirk as he accepted the circlet. “I suppose I was finished with her anyway. Though now I need someone to come clean up this mess.” He took a long, audible sniff of the air. “Makes a man hungry, though, doesn’t it~?”

Eunji didn’t deign to answer as she returned to Wendy and led her away with an arm around her waist.

Leeteuk just waved at her with his fingers. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, General~!” he called after them as Eunji slammed shut the doors to his apartments. “Enjoy it while you can.”

_Uwee hee hee!!!_


	17. The Red Wings

((a/n literally only HOURS late for Seulrene Day, but here!))

 

Irene was perturbed to discover that Boko wasn’t in the Blackjack’s cargo hold. That meant he was probably being walked around on deck for some fresh air and exercise, possibly with his owner, and if Irene wanted to see either of them, she would need to go up to the deck herself.

She glared for another moment at Boko’s empty nest, a pile of straw set up in one corner of the hold, before groaning aloud in frustration. Seulgi, the source of the restlessness which had driven her to seek out Boko in the first place, was currently in the way of her spending some quality time with the giant bird. She clenched her fist inside the long sleeve of Moonbyul’s embroidered coat, and heard the squeaking of her icy fingers rubbing together. The cold was an emotional response, her abilities instinctively ready should Irene need to defend herself. But there was no threat here on the Blackjack, thousands of feet above the ocean.

Seulgi must have been frustrating her more than she realized.

 

_Irene had received countless shots before. Out of everything she had experienced in her training, she knew a needle should be the least of her worries, but even Heechul noticed her obvious trembling and paused with the syringe inches from her pale arm._

_“Irene… I need you to stop shaking, or I’ll have to call a doctor to do this. I don’t want to hurt you.” He exhaled quietly to himself as he sat up and watched her close her eyes. She was so much younger than Leeteuk had been the first time he had received the treatment._

_They were in Heechul’s personal laboratory, deep within the Magitek Research Facility, a section of the emperor’s massive ziggurat that had undergone quite a bit of expansion in recent years. Even through the iron walls, Irene could hear the screams of saw blades cutting into metal on the factory floor beyond, as members of Heechul’s engineering team constructed more prototypes of weapons never before seen in the World of Balance._

_Weapons like the one she was about to become._

_She opened her eyes and mutely glanced at Heechul seated beside her as she lay on his steel surgical table. There was nothing in this room that could give her any kind of comfort; the harsh gas lighting beaming down on her unforgivingly as she reclined, the other tables lining the walls, covered in apparati that she could only begin to guess the uses of, and papers with equations and formulae that probably calculated with an engineer’s precision just how much of her humanity she would retain after this injection._

_Heechul blinked as she watched young sargent’s expression harden with resolve. Was she finally ready?_

_He leaned in and carefully took ahold of her wrist, exposing the fine veins of her inner elbow once again, but he paused once again when she spoke._

_“I’ll be like Wendy after this?”_

_Heechul licked his lips and pursed them for a moment before answering. There were many things he wasn’t allowed to tell her, but the compulsion to give her some peace of mind broke his resolve. “Sort of. For the most part,” he said hesitatingly. “... Wendy’s a little different.” He refrained from saying that she would be more like_ Leeteuk _than Wendy after this. Heechul didn’t count the Court Wizard among his successes._

_He watched her mull over his words, her intense gaze slowly moving about the room before finally settling on him again. There was no doubt in his mind as he felt a small chill raise the hairs on the back of his neck as he held her stare: ice was going to suit her perfectly._

_“Okay,” was all she said as she held her arm out to him._

_After that moment before their fencing lesson where Wendy had held her as she cried, she had firmed her resolve. She didn’t want Wendy to feel so different from everyone else anymore. She didn’t want her to be alone._

 

But she _had_ left Wendy alone.

Irene turned on her heel, finding Moonbyul’s knee-high boots far more comfortable than her stiff dress shoes, and marched out of the hold. She supposed they would find out soon enough what the Empire had been up to after her _dismissal_ from her post, but she still wished she had asked the Slam Shuffle Gang for more information back in Zozo. Elly might have known their movements, which cities were still under siege, if Doma had been claimed as a base of operations for the Northern Continent campaign. It would have given her a better idea of what to expect in the capital.

She gripped the brass railing that spiraled up the staircase that led to the trapdoor and onto the deck and paused. She wondered if Mobliz was isolated enough to miss the domineering reach of the Empire, but suspected that her flight from Doma had lead soldiers to the rural town. After all, Magitek Armor pilots had followed her all the way out to the Veldt; the town itself had likely been searched and its residents interrogated. What a first impression that probably made for her with Seulgi’s parents. She snapped out of her reverie at that last thought and sighed at herself irritably. Looking up she could barely make out the velvety midnight-blue sky peeking through the crosshatched pattern in the wooden trapdoor.

She, Bae Irene, ex-general and hardened veteran of the Ghestalian Imperial Army, was worried about meeting Seulgi’s parents?

And since when did _one_ kiss mean she was in a some sort of serious relationship, anyway?

Seulgi.

She angrily stomped up the stairs, a dull metallic ring sounding with every aggressive step until she laced her fingers through the holes in the trapdoor and paused again. She could see it now that she was so close to the deck: the blinding light of the full moon, making her squint as she peered through the squares in the door. She couldn’t see Seulgi, or more importantly Boko, but she knew they must be up here.

Seulgi should be resting, not gallivanting around with that bird of hers. They were going to reach the Southern Continent within hours, and then they would be in enemy territory all the way until they reached the landlocked capital of Vector.

Seulgi.

Irene had always been rewarded for her excellent decision-making skills in stressful situations: commendations, promotions, larger platoons, and more officers added to her councils, but when it came to decisions in her personal life, her strategic mind failed her. And the other companions had proved completely untrustworthy, abandoning her in her time of need, and letting her get carried away in the engine room. How could Joy just leave her to give in to a moment of weakness like that? It was like she and Yeri and Moonbyul were all in on some insidious plot together to see her reduced to some lovesick primary school student.

Well, wasn’t she was used to having to come to her own rescue? They were allies, she and Seulgi, and she needed them to stay that way as she mentally prepared for tomorrow’s attack.

And the thought struck her that this very well could be their last night together.

Seulgi.

Even on the eve of their assault on Vector, it was _always Seulgi_.

She swung the door up and open, and climbed onto the deck quickly, before she could change her mind. And once she was standing and dared a glance around, she found she was rewarded for her bravery with a breathtaking view.

The brilliant blue-white light of the full moon was reflecting ghostly pale off the bank of clouds below them, stretching out in small rises and ripples out to the midnight horizon. Her crippling fear of heights momentarily overcome by her awe, she slowly walked towards the railing in a daze. Indeed the sky looked very dreamlike, everything glowing and ethereal, the cool bright light on the clouds and the dark velvety sky above.

“It’s nice, huh?”

Seulgi.

Irene jumped and clung for dear life to the rigging tied down to the railing.

Seulgi was surprised that Irene was surprised, but the rancher only blinked mutely in response.

“So you _are_ up here,” Irene grumbled as she held onto the ropes with both arms.

Seulgi beamed at her smugly. “You were looking for me?” she asked.

Irene huffed. “Of course not. I was looking for Boko, but he wasn’t in the hold.”

Seulgi’s smile didn’t falter as she turned and called out for the chocobo. “Boko! Here, boy!”

The giant yellow bird fluffed out his wings at being called and strutted over to the pair. Seulgi reached out to pet him, but he ducked around her and bowed his head in Irene’s face, looking for attention. She tentatively disentangled one of her arms from the rigging and shakily held out a hand for him to headbutt.

“Are you okay?” Seulgi asked, putting aside her jealousy at seeing Irene battling with her fear. “Moonbyul told me you’re afraid of heights.”

“I am _not_ afraid of heights,” Irene snapped as she counted to three in her head and released the ropes to cling onto Boko’s feathers instead.

Seulgi laughed and walked Boko, and consequently Irene, away from the railing towards the stern of the airship. “Would you ride Boko? He’s pretty tall,” she asked curiously.

Irene scoffed as she was finally able to relax a bit. “I’ve piloted Magitek Armors taller than him.”

“Kweh…”

“No offense.”

Seulgi’s grin finally faded at the reminder. Underneath the swaths of undulating clouds would soon be the Southern Continent.

“I think you’d look better on Boko than one of those Armors…”

Irene glanced at Seulgi for a moment, then turned her gaze up to Boko’s majestic head. While she didn’t have much experience with animals in the iron confines of the Imperial city she grew up in, she had to admit, imagining Seulgi riding Boko on the grassy fields around Mobliz was tempting. She frowned. Too many things about Seulgi were tempting, but…

“May I?” she heard herself ask.

Seulgi blinked, then grinned widely at her. “You wanna ride him? Boko, down!” she urged, getting Boko to squat so the short ex-general could mount him. Seulgi came around to help her, get settled onto his back, though Irene proved to be rather agile, adapting to the situation quickly. It was very different from the first time she had ridden a chocobo, haphazardly scrambling up onto the back of one of Seulgi’s birds and setting off at a gallop before any of them could really situate themselves.

Irene remembered the fall Joy had taken and stared at the back of Boko’s head warily, beginning to have second thoughts.

“Ready? I’m going to have him stand…” Seulgi announced, taking one of Irene’s hands and placing it near the back of Boko’s neck. “Hold on here. We’ll just walk a little. I don’t want you stealing him, too,” she added with a smirk.  

If Irene felt more sure of her grip on Boko, she would have aimed a kick at the rancher.

“I’m ready. Let’s go, Boko!” she called, and against either of the girl’s intentions Boko leapt up and dashed off towards the other end of the ship with a squeaky chirp.

“BokO NO! BOKO STOP!” Seulgi cried, startling Eunae at the helm. The tall, quiet girl turned just in time to see Boko sprint past her, a terrified Irene clinging to his neck, letting out a quiet, yet shrill whine.

Despite Seulgi’s - and Eunae’s - attempts to corral him and get him to stop, and nearly getting trampled in the process, the bird seemed intent on having his fun, and ran laps around the helm while Irene helplessly held on.

Oh yes, this was somehow _exactly_ like that time she had stolen one of Seulgi’s chocobos. “Boko…!” she finally managed to whisper, getting a surer grip on his feathers. “Boko, stop!” she begged. And at last the bird seemed to finally take pity on her and slowed to a trot, before stopping entirely in front of Seulgi and Eunae.

Seulgi reached up and flicked his beak with her fingers. “Bad Boko! What were you thinking?” she scolded. Eunae excused herself to continue piloting the ship, glad the excitement was over.

“D-down!” Irene commanded, intending to scramble off Boko as soon as he settled against the wooden deck. Seulgi offered her hand as Irene dismounted, and the ex-general stumbled into her.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” Seulgi said softly. Irene glared up at her, then at Boko as she regained her footing.

“He did that on purpose,” she grumbled. “And you think he likes me.”

Seulgi couldn’t help a laugh. “I think he does!” she insisted. “I think he was just playing, right big guy?” She hugged his great head to her chest and he made a noise in his throat in agreement. “He seems to listen to you better than me, even,” she added thoughtfully.

Irene rolled her eyes. He was like a massive spoiled puppy, and watching Seulgi dote on him was simultaneously adorable and irritating. “If he listens so well, then he should have realized that I don’t like heights, or riding giant… birds.”

“So you admit you’re afraid of heights, then.”

Irene tch’d at her slip. Seulgi straightened and stood in front of her. “You don’t want to admit it,” she pointed out.

“Admit what, a tactical weakness?” Irene asked.

Seulgi shrugged, her wide grin returning, though her dark gaze was warm in the blue-white moonlight. “It makes you seem more human.”

Irene paused. She knew Seulgi didn’t understand what she was saying, but the words still struck home.

Seulgi encouraged weakness and vulnerability. She encouraged humanity.

And she had no idea what that meant to someone like Irene.

The ex-general stared up at that face-scrunching smile of hers and sighed inwardly.

“Stop that,” Irene finally said irritably.

“Stop what?” Seulgi said, still with that wide smile scrunching up her entire face.

“ _That!_ ” Irene growled, reaching over to cover Seulgi’s stupid grin with her hand, but she quickly withdrew again when she felt Seulgi laughing against her palm. “Boko!” she called, and the large chocobo stood up and obediently walked over.

Irene glared as she simply pointed at Seulgi. “Attack!” She wasn’t sure if that was how chocobos worked, but Boko seemed to have something in mind as he puffed out his feathers and stomped over to Seulgi.

“A-attack?!” Seulgi asked in mild alarm as Boko loomed over her. “But he’s _my_ chocob-” The rest of her sentence was cut off when Boko raised one of his massive talons and stepped on her, effectively slamming her flat on her back against the deck.

“ _Countenanced carbuncle!_ ” Irene blurted out as she rushed over to push the yellow bird off of the poor rancher. “Bad Boko!” she grunted as she used her shoulder to try and nudge him away.

“Kweh!” Boko chirped triumphantly as he finally relented and stalked away. He made a satisfied noise in his throat as he settled back down on the deck and closed his eyes.

Seulgi groaned breathlessly as she continued to lay where she had been flattened out. Irene stood over her with a look of concern. “Are you alright? I didn’t think he’d actually…” and she choked out a laugh at Seulgi’s pathetic display there on the deck. “... I didn’t think he’d actually _attack_ ,” she tried again, laughing even louder this time.

And despite the fact that she was certain she’d have a giant talon-shaped bruise all over her torso tomorrow, Seulgi couldn’t help smiling listening to Irene’s laughter. The ex-general reached down a hand to help Seulgi up but Seulgi turned her face away. “No, I don’t think I can get past this level of betrayal,” she mourned. “My own chocobo, swayed by a pretty face.”

That quieted Irene’s laughter. She kicked the sole of Seulgi’s shoe in embarrassment and offered her hand again. “People tend to listen when I give an order,” she scoffed softly.

Seulgi clasped her forearm but instead of hoisting herself up, she gave a sudden tug, pulling Irene down onto the deck with her. Seulgi gave her own laugh in the form of a cough as Irene landed on top of her. “See? It’s not so fun is... it?” she asked as Irene raised herself up on her elbows, giving her such a threatening glare that she could barely finish her thought. She swallowed, feeling a chill in the air around them. “Hey,” she murmured, reaching up to brush Irene’s hair away from her face, even if that only revealed more of her cold gaze.

Seulgi was distracted by the way she could see her own breath fogging between them and instinctively moved to wrap her arms around Irene. But it wasn’t just the air that was cold, she realized as she felt Irene tense up in her arms. It was Irene herself. The ex-general was so cold, Seulgi could feel it even through the fabric of Moonbyul’s thick coat as she slowly rubbed up and down her back. It reminded Seulgi of Irene’s unnaturally cold hands in the engine room, and that grisly scene in the sea cave where she had watched Irene kill Imperial soldiers with ice.

And now that she knew Irene was from the Empire, she knew it must be magic.

With Seulgi’s arms around her, Irene’s motivation to push herself away from the suddenly serious rancher faded.

“I’m sorry,” Seulgi said softly, causing Irene’s glare to soften in confusion.

“Why?”

Seulgi gave a slight shiver as she shrugged against the rough boards of the deck. “You seem angry.”

“I am,” Irene admitted tersely, and she felt Seulgi thread her fingers together at the small of her back. How did they get to this point? Why was she even letting Seulgi be this close? Seulgi even knew who she was now, and she had still kissed her.

“Why?” Irene heard her own question asked aloud by Seulgi. She looked down at Seulgi’s furrowed brow, her warm eyes, the white puffs of breath coming from her parted lips as she waited for an answer. Seulgi was cold, cold because of her, but she wasn’t complaining. Irene knew she wouldn’t.  

“You make it hard for me to hate myself,” Irene admitted in a whisper.

Seulgi blinked up at her, the corners of her mouth curving up in a questioning smile. “Hate yourself?” The thought nearly broke Seulgi’s heart. “I wish you wouldn’t.” Seulgi’s tone was too warm. Too gentle. Every word weighed on Irene until her arms lost their strength and she let herself lay on top of Seulgi. “I wish you wouldn’t,” Seulgi repeated, burying her nose in Irene’s hair. “Because I-”

Irene quickly reached up and placed a finger against Seulgi’s lips, silencing her as she leaned up once again to look down at her. “Don’t.”

Seulgi unlaced her fingers and carefully took Irene’s freezing cold hand away from her mouth. “Because I think you’re pretty special,” Seulgi finished, softly pressing her lips against Irene’s palm.

And Irene realized she wasn’t angry with Seulgi.

She was afraid of her.  

+++  

  
The mood onboard the Blackjack noticeably darkened as the sea they had been able to spot in the breaks in the clouds was replaced by green swaths of land. They were passing over the Southern Continent on their way towards Vector. Moonbyul looked up at Sujeong with a brief smile that scrunched up her face before heading below deck. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about her crew coming along on this journey. It changed her plans a bit, having six other girls to worry about.  

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them - they were each skilled in their own way: Yooa with her cat-like grace, Eunae with her sudden bursts of ruthlessness, even Somi with her uncanny ability to fit in wherever she went. Despite their capabilities, she worried about them just the same. This wasn’t some skirmish in an occupied city - they were flying right into the heart of the Empire, and she felt responsible for them.

She needed to give them all tasks, not just out of necessity for their raid on Vector, but also to give herself some peace of mind. It would keep everyone, including herself, too busy to consider the grim possibility that perhaps not all of them would make it out alive today. She spent the next several hours ensuring that they were ready: back-up plans, contingency plans for their back-up plans, abort scenarios that Irene expressly objected to, and digging up a few pieces of prototype equipment out of the hold...

During one of her passes through the ship, Moonbyul was surprised to run into Yeri in the gallery. The ‘treasure hunter’ was at one of the gaming tables, rifling through her pack with a vacant expression, like she was looking for something but perhaps wasn’t expecting to find it in her bag. Moonbyul walked over comfortably and leaned with the heels of her hands pressed to the table’s surface. Yeri was the only member of the Returners whom Moonbyul had actually known personally, prior to having her ship commandeered, and she still felt that they were something like kindred spirits.

“She hasn’t given you your coat back?” Yeri asked just as Moonbyul finally opened her mouth to greet the thief. The blonde gave Moonbyul, belt-less and in her shirtsleeves, a once-over with a wry expression.

The captain laughed. “No, I was the one stupid enough to wager it.” She had managed to find another pair of boots in her cabin at least, but it was going to be tough flying around the skies with a simple silk dress shirt and not the insulated protection of her long coat. Now that she knew they were going to have to make it out of Vector alive, she was already thinking of ordering another one from the tailors in Jidoor. “I’ve been on quite a losing streak lately. First flying you to Vector, and now my beloved coat.”

Despite Moonbyul’s attempt at humor, Yeri’s expression turned serious. “You don’t have to stick around and wait for us. Actually it’s probably better if you leave right after dropping us off.”

Fatalism seemed to be the theme of the day.

“And how do you expect to get out again if I just leave?” Moonbyul asked with a smirk. She had already considered the very serious possibility that she should just abandon the Returners once they reached Vector, but she knew the crew wouldn’t let her.

Yeri sighed and gave up on her bag. “We might _not_ get out again. It’s just the four of us, and there are guards, military officers, Leeteuk himself, that Witch if she’s there - a lot could go wrong, and it’s not like they won’t see us coming.”

The captain conceded with a nod. It would be difficult for the massive Blackjack to drop in without being noticed; they’d know the girls were coming even before they breached the ziggurat.

“Yeri?” Both girls looked up as a certain red-headed queen entered the gallery looking for the thief.

Moonbyul waved at her lazily and Yeri simply waited for Joy to say what she had come to say.

“We’re here.”

+++

  
From her position in the middle of the deck near the helm, Irene could smell Vector before she saw it. The air was a mix of industrial smog, the dust from the dry, clear-cut landscape, and the sharp ionization from Magitek technology that tingled her nose. It smelled like home.

They had dropped through the high clouds and were skirting the top of the bank of smog that blanketed the entire valley Vector was situated in. Though Moonbyul had instructed Sujeong to keep them at this altitude until they were right on top of the great, iron ziggurat, she was sure that they would be spotted well before they reached their target, even through the haze.   

Seulgi was at the railing, anticipating the view in something reminiscent of the excitement she had felt when they were pulling into the port at Albrook. Each city they had travelled to so far had been larger than the last, and all of them dwarfed the hamlet of Mobliz, but there was no feeling of awe this time as she saw the dim, square shapes of buildings rising up through the smog. It reminded her of Zozo, the way the cityscape looked cold and uninviting, but instead of feeling empty and derelict, Vector was bustling with activity in a choked and overcrowded way.

And perhaps Seulgi was feeling a bit biased against the Gestahlian Empire, but she couldn’t help but feel that the city gave off a malign aura. How could this many people live and work here under such a terrible leader? The gridlike streets passed by in a blur, block after block as they flew deeper into the metropolis towards the looming pyramidal hall of the Emperor, the only building tall enough to pierce through the brown haze.

“Faster,” Moonbyul ordered Sujeong as she stood behind the helmsman and Irene. “You’re going to drop us in only when we’re right above our target, but I’m sure they already know we’re here by now.”

“... I think you’re right!” Yooa announced from up in the rigging near Seulgi. “They’re coming!”

Moonbyul tossed her head and gave the ninja a skeptical expression. “What do you mean they’re co-” but she fell silent as she heard it. They all heard it.

Propellers. _Lots_ of propellers.

Moonbyul glared at Irene. “This is the only airship in the world! Just what has the Empire been building?!”

Irene couldn’t answer. She could only look out past the railing in dread as she saw a cluster of small black shapes flying straight towards them in an ominous formation.

“Irene? What are _those_?” Joy asked the ex-general from over her shoulder as she slowly walked over to stand next to Seulgi.

“I… have no idea,” Irene admitted, anger slowly replacing her initial shock. Surely she hadn’t been gone from the Empire for _that_ long? Heechul must have been working on the prototypes for months before she defected. So why hadn’t she known?

“ _Faster_ , Sujeong,” Moonbyul repeated with a grip on the taller girl’s shoulder. “Prepare for a fight,” she ordered the rest of her crew as she watched the machines approach. From this far off she couldn’t exactly tell what they were… some sort of tiny version of a Magitek Armor, but with propellers like her own airship. She hoped they didn’t have the same _arsenal_ as Magitek Armors, otherwise this fight was going to be over before it even began.

Joy, however, didn’t think the small machines looked like they could handle the kickback of a Magitek Armor’s cannon, but the implications of air combat were staggering for the future of this war. She was too alarmed by the possibilities should they fail in their mission today to consider the particular mechanics involved. She checked the cartridge for her repeating crossbow, winding the crank with a dark expression.

Seulgi briefly tore her eyes away from the swarm of flying contraptions and glanced back at Irene, but she didn’t like the dark expression the ex-general was wearing. Beside her, she saw Sujeong pass off the controls to Moonbyul and raise a gilt pistol.

“You might want to get out of the way,” she indicated to Seulgi with a wry, tight-lipped smile. Seulgi ducked and ran around the helm to stand next to Irene as she began to hear shots ring out. The machines were close enough now that Seulgi could see they were being piloted by one soldier, while another sat behind with a rifle.

“You missed!” Yeri complained after Joy loosened a bolt at one of the machines and it soared well wide of its intended target.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never fired from a _moving_ _airship_ before!” Joy snapped at her. She raised her crossbow to her shoulder once again and took more careful aim, getting a feel for the variables. She tried another volley of bolts, letting her repeating crossbow’s cartridge empty in a fan at the nearest machine.

The queen watched in satisfaction as the bolts penetrated the metallic hull of the engines of the copter-like contraption and pinned the gunner back in his seat in the cockpit. The machine began to smoke and then violently exploded in a ball of fire, sending the pilot sailing through the air with such a force that he landed on the wooden deck of the Blackjack with a violent tumble. Irene was on him in an instant, dragging the crumpled pilot to his feet.

“Who are you? What are those?” she yelled at him as she held him up by his collar.

“G-general Bae,” the pilot whispered in a fearful daze. Irene gave him a violent shake.

“I said, _what are those_?” she growled.

The pilot seemed to regain some of his senses, for his expression turned defiant. “I’m not going to talk to a traitor like you!” he retorted.

Irene grimaced and threw him at Seulgi. “Hold him!” she commanded and Seulgi mutely did as she was bidden.

“His hand,” Irene continued as she unsheathed her sabre. “Hold it out on the railing.”

“Wait,” the pilot interrupted as Seulgi blinked and forced his hand against the railing in mild confusion. “W-wait…!”

“Tell me what those machines are,” Irene asked again, as she eyed the keen edge of her blade.

“They’re Sky Armors…!” he yelled as he watched the movements of her blade with wide eyes.

“And how many are there?” she continued. She waited a beat, but when he didn’t answer, she suddenly struck his wrist with her sword, sending his hand sailing out over the edge of the ship and down to the city below.

He screamed in agony and Seulgi almost let him go in shock.

“ _HOW MANY ARE THERE?_ ” Irene repeated with a roar. When he only continued to wail, Irene pointed her blade at his other hand. “Put it on the railing,” she instructed darkly.

Luckily Seulgi didn’t need to comply as the pilot shrilly yelled out, “Forty-five! There are forty-five, in three squadrons, fifteen each!”

Satisfied, Irene took him out of Seulgi’s grip by the collar and threw him over the railing. She didn’t watch him fall, but returned her attention to the fight, quickly scanning the skies to take a count of how many Sky Armors there were.

Two… four… six… ten… no, _nine_ , Irene corrected herself as she saw Sujeong dispatch a pilot, who leaned heavily on his controls, sending the copter into a spiral down to the streets below. It seemed that only one squadron had been deployed to deal with them for now, but that left at least 30 more Sky Armors to chase after them if they were able to fight off these ones.

“We can’t stop,” Moonbyul said suddenly as she yanked on levers and flipped switches, trying to coax every bit of speed out of the Blackjack that she could muster.

“We _have_ to stop,” Irene insisted stubbornly, though she was coming to the same conclusion.

“No, we don’t,” Moonbyul grunted as she gave the ziggurat a wide berth and banked suddenly, in an attempt to throw off their pursuers. “Where’s Sohee? Tell her to get the packs,” Moonbyul yelled out to whomever was listening.

“The packs?” Seulgi asked warily while Irene clung to her as the ship’s angle pitched into the turn.

Sohee herself had heard Moonbyul’s order and scrambled belowdeck to retrieve the requested items. She reemerged and rushed over to Seulgi and Irene first, forcing a backpack around Seulgi’s shoulders as the Blackjack straightened out once again.

“Ah- wait, what are these?” Seulgi asked as she watched Sohee scamper off to do the same to Joy and Yeri. Irene waited to see if Sohee had a pack for her as well, but all she received was a shrug from the crewmember.

“Sorry, we only made three… we haven’t even been able to test them, ye-”

“That’s enough,” Moonbyul interrupted, cutting her off. “See if you can find anymore ranged weapons down below, will you?”

“So…” Seulgi ventured again, craning her neck to try to get a look at the backpack. It was light and poofy - it almost felt like there was nothing in it at all, and there was a pull-string that hung down in front of her that she fingered, but Moonbyul slapped her hand away.

“Don’t touch that until you’re ready,” she instructed. “We can’t stop, so… you’re going to have to jump.”

“We’re gonna have to what?” Seulgi asked incredulously as Yeri and Joy joined them at the helm.

“You’ll have to jump,” Moonbyul iterated. “I’ll take you in as close as I can, then you’re going to jump when I tell you. After you’re clear of the ship, pull that string,” she indicated with a nod as she tightly gripped the levers at the helm. “That will release a chute that’ll slow your fall. Theoretically you should be able to-”

“ _THEORETICALLY?!_ ” The Returners all but screeched.

“Ladies, please. Would I really endanger the lives of such beautiful women?”

Silence was the only answer she received.

Moonbyul cleared her throat, bracing herself for another sharp turn as they rounded the back of the ziggurat. “We have to attack now while they’re still trying to figure out what we’re up to. If we wait to fight off all these… what were they? Sky Armors? Which, keep in mind, we might not be able to do, that’ll give them too much time to prepare a _welcoming party_ for you guys on the ground. You have to go,” she insisted.

“You have to go _now_!”

“But I don’t have one,” Irene nearly stammered. Did they expect her to stay on the ship while the rest of them went in blind?

“Seulgi can share,” Moonbyul said with a wink. “Hold onto each other tightly, got it?”

Yeri looked up at Joy with a skeptical expression. “Will these really work?”

Joy eyed the pack on the blonde’s back and shrugged. “... We may never get another chance,” she finally admitted.

If that was all the assurance Joy was going to give, Yeri would just have to accept it. She nodded and ran to the railing. “Irene, what’s the best way in?” she shouted back.

“Th… the north side,” the ex-general replied, remembering their plan to sneak in through the dungeons.

“Then this is it,” Moonbyul indicated as she pulled them into yet another turn around the massive complex. “Good luck, huh guys? We’ll stall as long as we can out here, but try not to keep us waiting?”

Irene couldn’t believe this was happening, even as Seulgi went up to Moonbyul and put a hand on the captain’s shoulder and Joy went to join Yeri at the railing.

“Thanks for the ride,” Seulgi said with a mirthless smile.

Moonbyul returned the expression with a quick finger gun. “You almost wish you would have married me now and skipped this whole mess, huh?” she teased.

“Almost,” Seulgi replied with a quiet smile. She turned back to Irene who blinked wide eyes at her.

“Seulgi, you can’t be serious…” This was basically Irene’s worst nightmare made manifest.

Seulgi simply grabbed Irene’s hand and all but dragged her to the railing. “Joy said it, this might be our only chance. Look, Irene,” Seulgi persuaded, indicating the iron ziggurat with a wave of her hand. “We’re _here_. This is _it_. We’re going to finish this _today_.”

Irene’s grip on Seulgi’s hand tightened, and after a beat, she nodded. “Don’t let go?”

Seulgi smiled at her. “Of course I won’t.”

“ _YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH…!!!_ ” Yeri screeched as she vaulted over the railing into the open air.

“Yeri…!” Joy shouted fruitlessly as she watched the blonde fall. She glanced around the sky a moment and finally muttered a quiet, “Kirin protect us…” before jumping over the side as well.

Irene inhaled sharply as she watched them and suddenly dug her heels into the deck as Seulgi led her to the railing.

“No! Nononononono…!”

“Irene,” Seulgi coaxed. “We _have_ to do this.” She enveloped Irene in a tight bear hug, and Irene instinctively wrapped her arms around Seulgi’s waist. “I won’t let go,” she reminded her.

Irene simply nodded against Seulgi’s chest, and there was a moment where she felt the world tip sideways as Seulgi fell backwards off the railing and into the smoggy void, and then they were falling...

 

Falling...

 

Falling.


	18. The Magitek Research Facility

 

 

The pull-string on Joy’s pack worked perfectly. It deployed a massive canvas parachute that _theoretically_ would have slowed her descent adequately enough for her to land on the terrace of the ziggurat she had been aiming towards without incurring too much damage to her legs. However, one of the riflemen on a Sky Armor had noticed the girls leaping off the side of the Blackjack and decided to turn his aim her way, shooting several holes in her parachute which tore into large gashes sending her wildly off course.

She tugged on the cords of the chute as hard as she could, trying desperately to stay on target, but continued to veer off towards the large military drill yard adjacent to the complex. She was being turned and spun as the wind whipped past her in her fall, deafening her to the sounds of the fight above and the possibility that the other girls might have been calling out to her. She was approaching the packed earth of the training grounds fast, _too_ fast, and with a sickening crunch, she landed.

Yeri’s descent had been surprisingly smooth. She had released her chute and had even managed to land on top of a guard near an entrance to the complex, breaking his neck with a satisfying snap before hopping up from his collapsed form to dispatch his partner. She disentangled herself from her pack and left it where it lay, looking around for the others, but felt her stomach lurch at the sight of Joy’s unmoving body, crumpled in a heap on the wrong side of the gates to the drill yard.

She was running before she realized it, and it wasn’t until she bodily slammed into the tall iron gates, rattling them on their hinges, that she heard herself scream a name and finally snapped out of her daze.

It hadn’t been Joy’s name she had screamed.

She gave the gates another shake as she looked for the best way around, or possibly through them and took a few steps back before launching herself up as high as she could jump, quickly scaling the bars that rose several times her height. She couldn’t bare to look at Joy’s still form as she hurriedly climbed, but her attention was caught by the movement of several figures running across the yard towards where Joy had fallen - Imperial soldiers.

Yeri vaulted over the top of the gate and tucked into a roll after the long fall, already back up and running towards Joy with her daggers drawn. She slid to a stop in the dirt beside the queen’s body and quickly cut her free of the shredded parachute, but the soldiers were approaching too quickly for her to assess Joy’s injuries.

It was so familiar - so _hauntingly_ familiar - watching the soldiers bear down on her as she protectively crouched over her fallen friend. She couldn’t believe it was happening all over again.

+++

  
 

Seulgi was starting to have serious doubts about this new plan as she fell backwards, watching the Blackjack quickly rise out of reach surrounded by the remaining Sky Armors, buzzing about like so many mosquitos.

Mosquitos with rifles.

The roar of the wind in her ears as they fell suggested that it’d be useless to try to ask Irene how she was doing, or to ask when exactly she was supposed to pull the string on her pack. Irene had a death grip around her neck with her arms, and the ex-general had even tangled their legs together in a desperate attempt to not be separated. Seulgi would have probably been able to enjoy the intimacy of their closeness more were it not for the fact that they were plummeting towards the base of the Gestahlian Imperial fortress complex at such an alarming speed.

Carefully unwrapping one of her arms from around Irene - which caused Irene to nearly choke her in an attempt to not let go - Seulgi groped for the string on her pack. Finding it, she gave it a strong tug and yelped breathlessly into the wind as the chute deployed and jerked them out of their freefall.

While they still seemed to be falling fairly fast in Seulgi’s opinion, she wasn’t sure what else to do aside from letting the parachute carry them the rest of the way to the ground. She scanned the area, trying to guess where they might end up, and that’s when she noticed a group of figures scuffling in the large drill yard adjacent to the ziggurat. She noticed right away a limp canvas parachute lying near a prone figure, and several soldiers fighting with someone…

“Yeri,” Seulgi barely heard herself mutter as they descended.

Irene must have heard her too, as she raised her head from Seulgi’s chest to tuck under her chin, still nearly choking the breath out of her with a death grip around Seulgi’s neck. The ex-general couldn’t make herself open her eyes, even after she felt their descent slow. She knew she should be using this opportunity to take in their surroundings and forming a strategy, but with nothing but Seulgi’s arms around her keeping her from falling to her death, she couldn’t bring herself to focus.

With her face pressed against the high white collar of Seulgi’s dress shirt, she shakily asked, “Wh-what about Yeri? Where is she?”

“She’s already fighting and I think… I think that’s Joy with her but she seems… hurt,” Seulgi forced herself to finish. The figure in the dirt was becoming clearer with each passing moment, and Seulgi couldn’t help noticing the glint of the chainsaw strapped across her back. It was definitely Joy, and she _definitely_ wasn’t moving.

Irene took a deep breath and forced herself to peek an eye open, but the sight of the dull, flat roofs of the buildings of Vector stretching out to the horizon made her dizzy and she squeezed her eyes shut again.

“There,” Seulgi indicated, freeing one of her arms to point down to the yard below.

Irene risked another glance, following the line of Seulgi’s arm and saw the fight below for herself. Yeri was pitted against six soldiers, and though she seemed to be holding her own, Irene could tell the thief was at a disadvantage as she fought and struggled to keep herself between the soldiers and Joy’s body. She needed help.

Irene retrieved one of her arms from it’s vice-like grip around Seulgi’s neck and wrapped Seulgi’s arm back around her waist. Seulgi obeyed her silent request and held onto her tightly as she saw Irene loosely curl her fingers and manifest a jagged shard of ice in her hand.

Seulgi gasped in spite of herself. She had seen Irene use her magic once, long ago, but not up close like this. Did she expect to be able to hit the soldiers from way up here? Seulgi had to guess they were still several hundreds of yards above the training ground and while she had every faith in Irene’s ability to kill a foe once she set her mind to it, this would be quite a feat of marksmanship.

But Irene wasn’t aiming for the soldiers on the ground. With a flick of her wrist, she flung the shard straight up at their parachute, rending a gash in the canvas that the wind pulled even wider, hastening their descent.

“Irene, wait-!” Seulgi choked as she scrambled to grab Irene’s hand before she could do any more damage to their chute. She pinned Irene’s arm to her side in a bear hug as they fell faster, arcing away from ziggurat. “Are you crazy?!” One minute Seulgi had to trick the ex-general into jumping off the side of the Blackjack, and the next the woman was cutting holes in the only thing keeping them from smashing into the ground like a ripe tomato?

“Seulgi, let go; I’m going to jump once we’re close enough. It’s too dangerous for us to land together anyway,” Irene instructed.

“But…”

“Seulgi,” Irene cut her off sternly, but when she pulled her head back to look up at Seulgi, she saw the concern written all over the rancher’s features and she softened her tone. “We jumped off of a flying airship and _now_ you’re worried about my safety?” she asked wryly.

Irene’s point notwithstanding, Seulgi pressed her lips to her forehead for a brief moment. Irene blinked up at her in shock when Seulgi pulled away again. No one had ever given Bae Irene, ex-General of the Gestahlian Imperial Army, a kiss on the forehead before. Unable to meet Seulgi’s gaze, Irene busied herself with judging the distance to the ground and disentangling their legs so she could prepare to jump.

The ground was so near now, it would only be like jumping from a multistory building, the tenth floor… now the eighth… the fifth… the third…

With a shove, she pushed herself away from Seulgi and fell the last few several dozen feet and rolled onto the hard-packed dirt of the all-too familiar training ground. This was her home turf, and she would show these recruits _exactly_ how she had earned her rank.

She took off towards the scuffling group, more shards of ice crystalizing in her free hand as she drew her sabre. Yeri only gave her a grateful look as she continued to dodge about between the soldiers, taking advantage of any opening to get a stab in with her pair of daggers. She was distracted by thoughts of Joy and the possible extent of her injuries. Broken bones? Internal bleeding? Had she landed on her feet and shattered her knees? Or snapped her neck?

One mantra rose up from the confusion of thoughts as she skidded onto the ground between two soldiers and cut at the backs of their knees, hamstringing them with her signature move.

She’s not dead. She’s _not_ dead. She’s _not dead_.

She _can’t_ be dead.

And an old anger that she had been masochistically nursing for years rose up from the icy pit in her stomach into the tight confines of her chest and she kicked back up onto her feet, viciously plunged both of her blades into the abdomen of another soldier with a frustrated grunt. She wasn’t going to lose Joy, too.

Seulgi wasn’t prepared for the fall the way the two more agile girls had been, and as she tumbled to the ground roughly, she was thankful that she didn’t sprain or break anything. She laughed a little at her worries; if all she came away with today was a couple of bruises, she would be lucky indeed.

By the time she was able to disentangled herself from the parachute and get her feet back underneath her, she saw Irene and Yeri had just finished off the last soldier. Though as she jogged over to them, she noticed several more were already running across the yard, so she increased her pace.

“How is she?” Seulgi asked breathlessly as she drew her longsword and placed herself between Yeri’s crouching form and the oncoming soldiers.

Irene brought one down with a well-aimed sliver of ice lodged deeply in his chest as she came to stand beside Seulgi, quietly relieved that the rancher had landed safely.

Yeri ignored Seulgi’s question as she carefully looked Joy over, only slightly relieved to see no protrusions or blood. She prayed Joy had just fallen too heavily and had been knocked unconscious, but as she brushed the queen’s red hair away from her face and lowered her ear to Joy’s mouth, listening, she heard Joy’s faint breath had a troubling rattle to it. Still, she was alive, and Yeri briefly rested her cheek against the queen’s. “Thank the Phoenix,” she whispered. She sat up and began pulling bottles out of her pack, quickly scanning labels and sorting them into piles.

Seulgi, after knocking a soldier to the dirt with the sheer strength of her swing, took a moment to look behind herself and saw Yeri in full triage-mode right out in the open field and sputtered. “Wh-what are you doing? We can’t stay here!” She was momentarily reminded of their haste back on the Veldt so long ago, rushing Joy onto Boko’s back so they could run from the army. She dearly wished her yellow friend was with them now, but she knew he was much safer up on the ship rather than down here.

“Use whatever you have to,” Irene commanded sternly as she threaded her blade past a soldier’s defenses and impaled him straight through the torso in a fluid motion. “Just do it fast.”

Yeri pulled the most expensive bottle out of her bag and fingered the stopper hesitantly. Was she overreacting? There was no time to figure out how severe Joy’s injuries were, just that she was unconscious, and that her breathing was unsteady. Well, Yeri would prefer that the queen would just yell at her later for squandering the supplies than the alternative.

Without wasting anymore time, she pried the stopper out of the bottle with a dull pop and carefully cupped Joy’s jaw, holding her still as she began to pour a trickle into her parted lips.

“... Shit, _shit_ ,” Yeri hissed as she wiped at the liquid leaking out of Joy’s unresponsive mouth. The once-clear liquid had a faint red tinge to it as it dripped from Joy's jaw onto the dirt.

“Yeri…!” Seulgi strained, as she heavily hammered her longsword against a soldier’s, knocking it from his numb hands. “We’re drawing a crowd… Do you need help?”

“I’ve got it,” Yeri snapped back, panic lacing her reply with a little more aggression than she had intended. With a resolute expression, she took a swig of the potion herself.

Irene wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at when she spun to cover their rear and saw Yeri tenderly holding the sides of Joy’s face in a desperate kiss. She was still trying to find a voice for her question, fearing the worst for the queen, when she saw Joy’s fingers twitch.

Yeri pulled back immediately when she felt Joy’s lips moving against her own. The bitter herbal taste of the potion hung thickly on her tongue as held her breath, watching Joy’s eyes flutter open and squint up at her.

“... Did... did you just…?” Joy asked weakly.

“Shut up,” Yeri broke in, her terse tone not matching the way her eyes watered at the sight of Joy pushing herself up on her elbows.

“Okay, great! Now let’s go!” Seulgi said hurriedly as she stooped to sling one of Joy’s arms around her shoulders, hoisting the queen to her feet. She looked at Irene expectantly, and Irene needed no further prompting to begin leading them back towards the ziggurat.

Yeri shoved the half-empty bottle into Joy’s hands, and ran on ahead to look for a way past the gate, but slowed as she watched it open to admit more soldiers into the drill yard. She pushed up the sleeves of her cropped jacket, eager to take out the adrenaline from saving Joy’s life on some Imperial cannon fodder.

+++

 

“Do you know how much this _cost_?” Joy grumbled as she finally caught up to Yeri and shoved the bottle back into the thief’s satchel.

“ _Shh!_ ” Yeri hissed back at her as she peered around a corner, checking for guards. After fighting their way into the complex, they had taken a detour into the dungeons as instructed by Irene. The detention facility would lead them around the main rooms and halls of the ziggurat and hopefully past the bulk of the obstacles that patrolled between them and the Emperor as they wound their way up to the top of the building.

Once Yeri decided the coast was clear, she turned a quick glare up at Joy. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Joy pouted as she adjusted her grip on her chainsaw - silent stalkers like Yeri might not approve of her method of attack, but they couldn’t argue with the results. “It would have been cheaper to leave me there,” she muttered under her breath, thinking of the fights yet to come and how they were already breaking into their supplies.

But Yeri stood up straight and gave her a serious look, commanding her attention. “Don’t say that,” the Treasure Hunter admonished, and Joy realized the implication of her own words to someone like Yeri and dropped her gaze.

“This way,” Irene indicated, leading them down a row of cells. The dungeons were some of the oldest rooms of the ziggurat, renovated from old servants quarters when the complex was still only a few stories high - and before the current dynasty had taken the throne of the Empire and turned Vector towards its more militarized ways. The low-ceilinged hall was lined with exposed cells, iron bars being the only barrier between the four girls and the pitiful occupants held in detention.

The dungeons should only have a few guards, and beyond, into the research labs, there might not be any armed personnel at all if they were lucky. But as they quickly trotted down the hall, a voice called out, stopping them in their tracks.

“Yeri?” a woman's voice asked from one of the cells, and Yeri turned to see a different redhead calmly seated on a bunk, watching the Returners through the iron bars. “Are you guys in a hurry, or do you have time to make a quick stop?” the woman continued with a faint smirk.

“Boss!” Yeri gasped as she instinctively walked closer.

Solji, the Don of the Slam Shuffle Gang, stood and walked to the front her cell, lazily grasping onto the iron bars. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Elly said you were in Vector,” Yeri recalled as she took Solji’s hands in her own.

Joy crossed her arms and gave the smuggler a wry smile. “What she _said_ was that you were _negotiating_ with the Empire. I take it that didn’t go so well…?” the queen asked, eyeing the squalor of the dark cell behind the don.

Solji raised her eyebrows. “Queen Sooyoung? Yeri, you left us for the _Queen of Figaro_? I suppose I can’t be too mad at you for that,” she said with a nod to Joy, returning that smile. “The Empire realized my value and decided to skip negotiations and go straight to _acquisitions_ , unfortunately.” She gestured for Yeri to work the lock on the door while she continued to explain. “I tried to convince them I was more of an asset as the head of the Slam Shuffle Gang than as a prisoner, but they figured if they controlled me, then they controlled our supply routes- Thank you, Yeri,” she paused, once she heard the lock give way with a rusty clink.

“The joke’s on them, then,” Yeri muttered as she stood up and dusted off her pants from kneeling.

“That’s right,” Solji said as she let herself out of her cell. “Elly’s the one in charge of managing operations. I’m more like the…”

“Brains?” Seulgi offered helpfully, but Yeri snorted. Solji glared at the blonde.

“She’s more like the mom,” Yeri corrected with a fond gaze up at the don.

Solji just rolled her eyes at the save and looked at the others. “So, where to? What brings the Queen of Figaro to the dungeons of Vector?”

“We’re going to take down the Emperor,” Irene answered succinctly, scanning up and down the hall for any signs of approaching guards.

Solji’s smile faded, recognizing the Empire’s Ice Princess. “You _have_ been making some interesting friends lately,” she mused quietly to Yeri.

“The Empire’s not the only one making strategic acquisitions,” Yeri replied with a wink.

Even without knowing what Solji’s capabilities were, Seulgi was glad to have another person join their group. The tense moment outside, and that initial fight had made her impressed with how confident Joy and Irene had been about their plans from the beginning. Their infiltration of the fortress had almost ended before it had even begun, so any extra help they could find along the way was welcomed in her eyes.

But, “I think I’ve had more than my fill of this place, so I’ll show myself out,” Solji declined.

“Well you’re not going to be able to leave the way we came,” Joy drawled, a little less than impressed with the don’s desire to cut and run. “I’m sure soldiers followed us in here from the training yard and are looking for us as we speak.”

“Which means we need to keep moving,” Irene chimed in, anxious to continue on.

Solji sighed. “I guess I have no choice.” She rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “What’s the plan, then?”

+++

 

Their plan led them onto the factory floor of the research labs, after a quickly resolved scuffle with the guards near the exit of the dungeon. Seulgi was now _very_ well aware of Solji’s capabilities after witnessing the don execute a series of moves that resulted in dislocated joints, snapped necks and numerous contusions for the guards, and was relieved that the weaponless woman was already proving herself to be quite useful.

While Irene may not have had much cause to visit the fortress’s dungeons during the span of her military career, the factory of the Magitek Research Facility was much more familiar to her. She quietly led the party along the outer walls of the massive open room, past large, thundering machines, and uniformed personnel analyzing dials and inspecting the production of what she knew were parts of the various weapons Heechul was constantly designing. She glanced back to make sure the others were keeping close, and noticed Seulgi had her hands over her ears.

Irene reached back and pulled Seulgi’s hands away with a frustrated sigh. She tugged Seulgi down to her level by the lapels of her tuxedo and spoke into her ear, “I know it’s loud, but you need to stay alert. We just need to make it through this room to the labs on the other side and it should be quieter.”

“ _WHAT??_ ” Seulgi shouted back into Irene’s own ear.

Irene took a breath, about to repeat herself when Yeri came up and smacked her arm. Instead of bothering to yell over the rumbling noise of the machines, the thief simply pointed towards the far side of the factory where a pair of large bay doors, several stories tall, were beginning to open. The others couldn’t tell the difference through the orange haze of the sky beyond, but Irene could see that the sun was already beginning to set, casting the interior of the iron facility in a rusty hue.

Soon, a new sound joined the sparking saw blades and hissing steam as up over the rows of machinery, the Returners watched several Sky Armors rise into the air and file out through the large doors.

“Two, four, six… ten… fifteen,” Irene concluded, unable to hear her own whispering over the noise. Another squadron deployed to deal with the Blackjack, she suspected, and she quickly gestured for the Returners to follow after her as she realized that the airship and its insufferable captain were waiting on them to complete their mission. She wasn’t sure if it was bravado or stupidity that kept Moonbyul circling the skies waiting for them instead of just taking off and saving themselves - she suspected it was both - but Irene begrudgingly realized she should probably thank the rakish captain if they got out of this alive.

Thoughts of the silver-haired airship pilot died away as they tiptoed their way around the edge of the factory floor, avoiding the gazes of the goggled engineers, and through a door into the labs beyond.

At the rear, Seulgi gave the noisy factory one last look before pulling the door shut behind them, plunging them into a deafening silence.

No, not quite a silence.

There was the faint sound of bubbling liquids and the constant, dull hum of a new kind of machine. As opposed to the rusted iron palette of the factory behind them, this first room of the magitek labs was bathed in a blue-green glow, emitted from a series of glass tubes lining the iron walkway. In the relative quiet, they could all hear Irene let out a surprised breath as the ex-general walked to the railing of the walkway to get a better look at the containers.

“What _are_ these?” Seulgi asked hesitantly, a little unnerved at the naked confusion on Irene’s features. Was this another secret the Empire had decided to keep from one of its leaders?

They looked like glass tanks, larger than life, and full of some sort of solution that was giving off the eerie glow that supplied the only light in the lab. The Returners slowly began walking, the strange room putting them on edge, until once again Yeri grabbed for Irene’s arm, as they rounded a corner.

“Irene!” the blonde nearly cried out, but she didn’t have to say anything more as Irene came up behind her and saw for herself.

Some of these tubes were _occupied_.

“What in the World of Balance…”

The next section of tanks that lined the iron walkway was filled with monstrous specimens, submerged in the strange blue-green solution and hooked up to a tangle of tubes both large and small.

“They look like the creatures on the Veldt,” Seulgi said dully after finding her voice.

“No, Seulgi,” Irene murmured as she walked down the line to a particular tank. “... I don’t think these are from the Veldt…” She approached what looked to be a woman, floating there unconscious, bubbles rising in rhythmic intervals from a mask around her face. And maybe it was the liquid she was suspended in, but her skin seemed to be a pale shade of blue, and darker still was her long blue hair that floated around her exotically costumed figure, nearly down to her bangled ankles.

Irene placed her hand on the glass and marvelled at how cold it felt to her touch, compared to the somewhat humid air in the lab. As she looked up at the woman in the tank, she gasped and retreated suddenly, surprised to see the woman staring back down at her with eyes as blue as her hair. After her initial shock, Irene approached once more, hypnotized by that powerful gaze.

“Then what are they?” Joy asked, eyeing the way Irene seemed entranced with obvious unease.

“They’re espers,” came a tired voice from farther down the walkway. There was the sound of weapons being unsheathed as a man dressed in a yellow lab coat approached. He seemed to not acknowledge the threat of the four other women in front of him while he looked at Irene. Indeed, he seemed too exhausted to care.

“That one’s Shiva,” Chief Engineer Heechul continued, gesturing to the tank Irene was in front of. “And she’s a part of you now, Irene.”


	19. Awakening

Irene felt it. She didn’t know exactly what Heechul’s words meant, but hearing a voice given to that ineffable tug on something deep inside of her as she looked up at the imprisoned Shiva, she knew it was true. They were connected somehow.

“A god?!” Joy sputtered.

“You can’t mean the Shiva?” Seulgi asked incredulously.

“She’s not a god,” Heechul corrected. “I just told you; they’re _espers_.” He pointed behind himself to a tube containing a dark, hulking, behorned figure, a shock of fiery orange hair running like a mane from the top of its head down its muscular back.

“Ifrit.”

With his other hand, he pointed towards another tube, with a slender, serpent-like creature floating inside, its shimmering scales the color of opal, fringed with turquoise fan-like fins.

“Leviathan.”

There must have been a dozen more thusly occupied glass tubes running the length of the lab.

“So they’re real,” Yeri said tonelessly. She looked just as tired as the Chief Engineer suddenly, and Solji stepped up to place her hands on the thief’s shoulders.

“You actually did it.” Solji watched Heechul darkly over the top of Yeri’s head. “And here I just thought you were crazy.”

Heechul just gave her a wane smile, noting the disdain in the don’s voice. “I think I am crazy, but we actually started this experiment long before we ever contacted you.”

Joy turned a stunned expression towards the two gang members, but Yeri’s mind still seemed to be elsewhere. “What does he mean?” the queen demanded. For a moment, silence reigned, broken only by the soft rhythmic bubbling of the tanks, while the engineer and the don stared at each other.

Heechul saved the two ladies from answering. “We’ve been searching the world for these espers. We distill their energy and use it in our machines and weaponry,” he sighed, waving to the tangle of tubes that sprouted from each glass container and wove up into dark machinery on a secondary level with more criss-crossing walkways above them.

“Magitek,” Joy stated.

Heechul nodded. “Demand began outstriping supply, so we needed to find more of these espers.”

“So you tried to hire us,” Solji continued, pulling Yeri closer to herself protectively. Suddenly Yeri’s self-proclaimed title of ‘World-Famous Treasure Hunter’ began to make more sense to Seulgi as she stared at Yeri’s mute form in wonder.

“But it was tricky,” Heechul acknowledged with another nod. “We couldn’t exactly tell you what we wanted them for, and our only clues as to their whereabouts were based on little more than legends and myths.”

“You weren’t just using them for Magitek,” Irene broke in quietly. It was a statement more than a question, but her suspicions had been growing the more Heechul spoke. When she looked back at the tank, she saw Shiva had placed her own hand on the glass, against Irene’s.

“No,” Heechul admitted solemnly, looking over at Irene with an apologetic gaze. “We weren’t.”

 

_Irene’s frosted skin stuck to the steel surgical table and her quick, frightened breaths fogged in the otherwise humid research lab. Heechul sat back on his stool to give her some space. After the way Leeteuk had reacted to his own series of injections, he wasn’t sure what to expect from Irene._

_The young sargent convulsed in a fit of coughing, the air in her lungs bitter cold. She rolled onto her side, and tried to push herself up on her hands, but she slipped, her palms forming streaks of ice on the table as soon as she touched it. She gasped and struggled even more frantically to sit upright. “Heechul… Heechul!” she cried quietly, fear quavering in her voice._

_Heechul watched carefully, mentally noting each change that Irene expressed, even as he called out to her gently, “It’s okay, you’re okay! Do you feel any pain? Can you look at me? Focus on me if you can.” She turned to look at him, her horrified gaze meeting his odd mix of excitement and concern._

_“It’s really happening…” she breathed, her words made visible by a small puff of ice cold fog. She raised her hand in front of her, turning it this way and that. Her skin had turned a bluish white, her nails purple as if she were some long-dead corpse trapped in a glacier, frostbitten and preserved for eternity._

_Is that what was happening to her? Was she something… other, now? Was she more than mortal? Would she live forever? She certainly felt like she had been elevated above humanity, as she flexed her fingers slowly, already acclimating to the cold. That icy feeling deep in her chest, like her heart was pumping blood as cold as a mountain stream, was slowly creeping out from her core through her limbs, becoming less of a shock with every beat._

_She was definitely something else now. There was a power spreading through her system that felt old. Very old. And it wasn’t just a power, it was a perception. Even this poor engineer-turned-scientist sitting next to her was still just a normal person. And there was something that sparked within her at that thought. Something that echoed in the back of her mind like faint siren, an alarm… warning her._

_Uwee hee hee…_

_Irene clapped her freezing hands over her ears, but looked up, startled when she heard a voice._

_“Aha, I see I am too late for the festivities!” Irene let out a long billowing breath as she saw the wide manic grin of the Emperor’s first advisor, the Court Wizard, leering out at her from the shadow of the doorway. He waltzed in, making a show of shivering in his silken trousers and billowing dress shirt. “My, what a cold greeting! But I must say, I’m chilled- er, thrilled, rather, to see that the procedure seems to have worked!”_

_Leeteuk’s grin faded into a more ponderous, close-mouthed smile as he circled Irene on the surgical table. Irene followed him with wary eyes, feeling her pulse quicken and the air in her lungs grow colder still. This was her first time seeing the Court Wizard outside of a military parade, and certainly the first time she had seen him this up close and personal. She didn’t like the predatory way he looked at her with those cold, calculating eyes, or his incessant smile._

_“Yes, it seems you got it right,_ this _time at least,” Leeteuk murmured as he came to stand by Heechul. “So, what can she do~?”_

_+++_

_Strangely, Irene had never seen Wendy outside of their fencing atelier before, so meeting her in the training yard under the hazy sky was odd. It reminded Irene how little she really knew about the younger girl, and how she may spend her time when they were apart. Perhaps she could ask her later on, but for now, they were here to train._

_Heechul sighed as he tapped a wide pencil to his lips, staring down at his clipboard. “Wendy? Do you remember how we did this with Leeteuk?”_

_Wendy definitely remembered, but she did her best to simply smile up at the Chief Engineer and nod. Heechul appreciated her effort._

_“Well,” he said quietly, though the next closest people were all the way down at the other end of the drill yard, far too scared of the Witch to train any closer. “Irene should be slightly easier to teach. Just show her some of the basics for now. How to contain it, mostly.”_

_Irene couldn’t help being more reserved than usual around Wendy, even though the little witch was barely able to contain her excitement. She gave Heechul a brief salute before bouncing over to Irene and taking her hands._

_And then promptly dropped them again, rubbing her fingers and blowing hot air into her palms._

_Irene winced, still getting used to just how cold her touch was to everyone, and everything. She had already ruined several delicate instruments in Heechul’s lab when she had finally gotten off of the table and skated into one of his workbenches from the streaks of ice created by her feet contacting the floor._

_She flinched when Wendy carefully took her hands again, this time holding them cupped against her chest. Irene could feel the heat radiating from Wendy - the reason she had begun to wear sleeveless shirts to try and keep cool during fencing practice - and instinctively stepped closer to the younger girl, basking in the warmth._

_Heechul stopped tapping the pencil against his lips and raised an eyebrow. Was… this… part of the training? He somehow suspected it wasn’t, and cleared his throat. “Uh, ladies? We have a long afternoon ahead of us…”_

_Not just because she was embarrassed, Irene quickly stepped back and held her arms behind her back, feeling the last bit of heat from Wendy quickly dissipate. Shyness aside, she too was eager to get started. She wanted to see what she could do, and perhaps begin to turn some of those vicious rumors away from Wendy and take them on herself._

_Wendy, however, scrunched up her face at Heechul in a pout, which he nearly returned, and probably would have, if it weren’t for the fact that they were out in the middle of the drill yard. “I was just trying to warm her up a little…!”_

_“Yeah, well she doesn’t even feel the cold anymore. She doesn’t know how her touch affects others. You’re supposed to help her with that,” he countered. Wendy, somehow still ever a child throughout all of this, stuck her tongue out at him and took Irene by the wrist to lead her a short distance away, so they could converse in peace._

_When he first selected Irene for his next experiment, after going through stacks and stacks of files of new recruits, it was because she seemed to fit his physical criteria. She looked perfect on paper, but when he had first met her in person, that’s what had given him the idea to narrow his focus down to one esper. That first interview had left him with such a clear impression of Irene’s cool, calm demeanor, the epithet of Ice Princess would have suited her with or without the injection. After his mistake with Leeteuk, and Irene’s obvious affinity for cooler elements, it suddenly seemed so obvious: focus on one esper, and give her everything Shiva had to offer._

_“She’ll be the perfect match to the Witch,” he remembered telling the army’s Master Swordsman naught a year ago. “Together they’ll be Fire and Ice.”_

_But now he was growing concerned about just how perfect the match was, as he watched Wendy laugh and Irene cover her face in one hand as she pushed the Witch with the other._

_“Just try again,” Wendy encouraged after her laughter subsided. It was wholly new to watch mist sublimate off of Irene’s outstretched arms, to see her bluish skin, and her dark wavy hair catch the midday light in crystalline shimmers. It practically brought tears to her eyes. She was starting to really feel like she wasn’t quite so alone in this world._

_But she couldn’t let Irene stay like this. She needed to teach Irene how to conceal her abilities and her new nature. She couldn’t stand it if Irene began to receive the same kind of treatment she had to face here in the capital. It was ironic how happy she was that Irene was no longer ‘normal’, but was now tasked to do everything in her power to teach Irene how to act like it._

_“It’s just like keeping a straight face - like hiding your emotions.” Irene seemed to be great at that, so this shouldn’t be any trouble at all, right?_

_Irene gave Wendy a sidelong glance then returned her attention to her hands. Was it connected to her emotions, then? How was she feeling right now? Nervous, confused, a little frustrated… a little shy. She schooled herself into a neutral expression and forced her shoulders to relax, and slowly, nearly imperceptibly, she thought she began to see color return to the tips of her fingers. The familiar pale, flesh tone hue to her skin regressed, however, when Wendy clapped her hands suddenly, startling her._

_“Yes! Exactly! I knew you’d be good at this,” Wendy exclaimed, very pleased with her assessment and Irene’s quick progress. Leeteuk hadn’t even bothered with trying to conceal his powers and had been far less receptive to the youngster’s instructions. She beamed over at Irene appreciatively and Irene couldn’t help but smile back._

_She had been scared about giving up her humanity, about sacrificing herself to the Emperor’s consuming desire for domination over his enemies - though in truth she had never had much choice in the matter - but seeing Wendy so ecstatic was making the transformation much easier to bear._

_And just like that, all traces of the other in her appearance seemed to vanish as she softly gazed at Wendy._

_Heechul wrote that down._

+++

  
 

“Is it worth it?”

Heechul blinked at the blonde thief who shrugged out of Solji’s arms. It was a loaded question, he knew, he just couldn’t figure out which angle this girl was coming at the situation from. Her familiarity with the Don of the Slam Shuffle Gang suggested she was also part of that outfit, so was she referring to the high upfront costs the Empire paid them for information? Was he asking about the man power it took to chase after every lead-? Wait…

“We’ve made modest gains,” he supplied thoughtfully. “For instance this time we’re fairly certain about the location of the Phoenix; when we tried to contract your… gang, we had somewhat misinterpreted the-” he was cut off by the vhpp vhpp vhpp of a dagger whirling so close past his neck that he felt goosebumps raise from his jaw clear down to his shoulder.

“Let GO OF ME!!!” Yeri shrieked as Solji and Irene practically tackled her to the ground. “He’s playing games with people’s lives and for WHAT?” she continued to yell as they struggled to hold her still. Seulgi was stunned, but slowly brought the tip of her sword back up to point at Heechul, still unsure at this point whether he was truly an enemy worth fighting or not.

And to be fair, Joy was also debating this as she slowly wrapped her fingers around the ripchord of her chainsaw. Why was he being so free with all of this information? Was he having a change of heart about his current employer? Did he care more about his experiments than what side he was on?

Or perhaps he figured none of them would be getting out of here alive.

Heechul ducked and ran back to a desk at the far end of the walkway, hiding behind the piece of furniture in surprise. He looked like he had been awoken out of a coma, the deep creases in his face less prominent, his tired eyes wide and alert as he stared at Yeri. Her outburst hadn’t been expected at all, and while he had thought he had done his best to stall the group from proceeding further, he now truly feared for his life.

The World Famous Treasure Hunter stilled in the two older girls’ grip and she looked coldly at Irene. “Let. Go. Of me.”

“You can’t kill him,” Irene refused, standing her ground under the younger girl’s uncharacteristically fierce gaze.

“Why not?” Yeri growled back. “He doesn’t care who lives or dies- more importantly why do you care?” Had Seulgi been right? Had Irene been playing her all this time?

But Irene had no answer for her as she suddenly felt everyone’s eyes upon her. She stood up slowly and released Yeri, who immediately pushed past her to retrieve her thrown dagger.

Was it strange that Irene maybe… perhaps in a twisted way… felt like he was family? As if she could even begin to understand the meaning of that word. She looked at Seulgi who stared back at her with a mixture of shock and confusion, and then she shifted her gaze up to Shiva watching them all with her unreadable, foreboding gaze. Was Yeri right about the Chief Engineer? Probably. But Irene didn’t know any different in this circus that was the Empire of Gestahl. No, all she knew was how to fight.

“I joined the Returners for one reason,” Yeri spat as she advanced towards where Heechul cowered.

“Yeri…” Joy warned. Solji crossed her arms with a resigned sigh.

“-And you’re not going to stop me now,” Yeri continued, talking right over the queen.

Irene had barely gripped the handle of her sabre to stop the blonde when an all too familiar laugh pulled the breath right out of her lungs.

“Uwee hee hee~! I do so hate to interrupt such a delightful performance, but you’ll have to excuse us,” tittered Leeteuk, the Empire’s Court Wizard.

Why was he here? Irene quickly pulled her sabre free of its sheath and glanced around. It was only when she noticed the others gazing upwards that she realized he was on the second floor, laughing down at them from one of the suspended walkways overhead.

And he wasn’t alone, as soldiers filed in behind him and his party. _Lots_ of soldiers. They practically filled the entire upper walkway as it groaned on its suspension rods under their heavy footfalls.

“My, how rude, Irene, you must introduce me to our guests~”

“No thanks,” Joy broke in flatly. “I’ve already had the displeasure of making your acquaintance.”

“Queen Sooyoung, you honor us,” Leeteuk cooed with a gallant bow. “And Don Solji, if I’m not mistaken?” he added with a nod, while the other redhead simply glared back up at him. “Then please, allow me to introduce my entourage: Irene you will remember _General_ Jung Eunji? She’s been kind enough to fill in during your… absence.

“And of course,” he said finally, his eyes narrowing at Irene in dark glee, “you know the Witch.”

Irene swallowed thickly. Her attention had been split between trying to watch Leeteuk’s every move, and the sight of Wendy, standing at his side impassively, with that despicable diadem resting against her brow. So he still used the Slave Crown to control her. Was Eunji protecting her? Was Eunji truly filling in for Irene? Was Eunji able to thwart Leeteuk’s plans the way she had once worked so hard to be able to do?

“I told you to go around in case they came this way,” Heechul called up to the Court Wizard irritably.

“Please, you do me a disservice. I came this way hoping I could run into them,” Leeteuk drawled. “How often is it that I get to meet _old friends_ , after all~?” His gaze took in the rag-tag crew Irene had surrounded herself with: they were clearly ready for a confrontation, but were watching her almost as if waiting for a signal. Interesting. Was she their leader, then?

Perhaps some taunting was in order.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to catch up another time, however. I’m on my way out at the moment,” he continued, his gaze flicking back to the General and the Witch. “I see you’ve discovered my private collection-” he ignored Heechul’s scoff, “-and I was just leaving to collect another specimen, you see.”

“You’re not going anywhere with her,” Irene growled as she formed a long shard of ice in her free hand. At the clear call to action, Joy let her chainsaw rip and its mechanical roar filled the otherwise still lab.

“Ah, ah!” Leeteuk scolded playfully over the noise. “Please, Irene, not in front of our guests. After all, I believe you understand how this works~?” He pulled Wendy in front of himself and leaned over her shoulder as he tapped at the crown she wore. “A word from me, and she’ll be… how should I put this? Decommissioned.”

Eunji… “Eunji?!” Irene cried out, the desperation in her voice surprising even herself. Why didn’t she do something?

But Eunji could barely make herself meet Irene’s gaze through the gloom of the lab. She was letting her old senior officer down. She was letting her old comrade down, but Irene didn’t understand the pressure Eunji faced, nor the strings she had to pull to force Leeteuk to let her accompany him on this mission.

She silently pleaded with Irene to not make her choose between Wendy and her.

But all Irene saw in Eunji’s face was resignation and defeat. Just what had Leeteuk been up to while she was away?

Leeteuk knew he had Irene backed into a corner, and he was utterly delighted to see what she might do. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been lying about the fact that they were leaving. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this short, Irene,” he intoned sourly, dropping his affected lilt. “But don’t worry, I’ve prepared some entertainment for you while I’m away,” he motioned to the soldiers. “And if you dare to drop in unannounced again,” he growled down at them, “I will be sure to deal with you personally. Ladies~” he gestured ahead of himself, indicating that Wendy and Eunji should proceed before him.

“Eunji…” Irene breathed, watching them exiting into the factory through a door up on the second level. “Eunji…!” she called out, pleading. “WENDY!!!”

“Uwee hee hee~ Goodbye, Irene~” Leeteuk bowed, before slamming the iron door shut behind them.

There was a flutter of clicks as dozens of rifles were cocked and aimed against them, and Irene stared after the Court Wizard for just a beat before whirling into action. She grabbed Joy’s hands as they held her chainsaw and she smashed it against Shiva’s tank, the high pitched squeal of the toothed blades whirring against the glass causing everyone to cover their ears.

Heechul’s desperate cry for them to stop was lost in the noise.

Joy helped Irene hold the chainsaw in place and with their combined strength, the tank breached, cracks splintering out like a spider’s web in all directions from the point of impact before shattering. The ambient fluid splashed over them and drained down through the perforated iron walkway, and Shiva swayed, hanging from her mask and the tangles of tubes that connected her to Odin knew what kinds of devices. Irene quickly cut her free and the esper fell into her arms, bringing all activity in the lab to a halt.

“What have you done...” Heechul whispered in horror as some of the soldiers began to back away from the railing.

Irene tore the mask from Shiva’s face and the esper took a long, deep breath before opening her piercing blue eyes. She gazed up at Irene and cupped the side of her face gently with her freezing hand.

Joy hoped there was a plan to go along with freeing Shiva, but Irene seemed mesmerized by the esper in her arms. And if Joy had to admit, she was too afraid to interrupt.

Shiva let out another long sigh and let her head roll on her shoulders. The bangles on her ankles and wrists tinkled as she shifted her weight to get her feet under, still using Irene for support. When she opened her eyes again, it was to look up at the soldiers above them, who nearly panicked at her stare. Indeed, the girls on the lower level could hear their labored breathing as they struggled not to break into a hysteria. The esper simply raised a hand in their direction and they scattered, some racing ahead towards the factory, some rushing back from whence they came, but Shiva snapped her fingers in an arc catching them all in a deadly chill, a deep freeze that stopped them right in their tracks.

She gave Irene a knowing smile as she snapped her fingers once again, and the soldiers shattered in a blast of tiny flakes of ice, a diamond dust that rained down on the Returners.

Seulgi gasped at the finality of the display of power, feeling the tiny pricks of ice melt against her skin as she looked up. There was no trace left of the soldiers, save one lone rifle, dropped during their attempt to escape.

Shiva slumped again in Irene’s arms, and the ex-general collapsed to her knees under the larger woman’s weight.

“Shiva?” Irene asked in distress. “Shiva?!” She seemed very feeble suddenly, her breathing shallow, and her movements sluggish. “Heechul? What’s wrong with her?” Irene called out, twisting her head to look for the Chief Engineer.

Heechul crawled out from behind the desk, torn between primal fear and scientific curiosity at the new situation. “She’s weak, Irene. She’s… she was one of our first espers… we… used her for many experiments. Irene, we need to put her back into a tank, quickly!” he instructed, his tone hardening the more he spoke.

But Shiva seemed to have different plans. She reached up to cup Irene’s face again, forcing the ex-general to look at her. The esper shook her head at Irene, with a pleading look in her dark blue eyes. She pulled Irene’s head down until she could plant an icy kiss on her forehead, and murmured something in a surprisingly warm voice.

“Wh… what did she say?” Joy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Irene shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving Shiva’s. “I… have no idea…” she admitted, as she began to feel the weight in her arms lighten. “No…? No, what’s happening?!” she asked in alarm as the esper began to disappear, right before her eyes. She attempted to hold Shiva closer to herself the more transparent she became until Irene fumbled onto her hands as the esper finally winked out of existence.

“No!” she cried into the quiet lab. “Why?” Shiva, whom Heechul had said was a part of her now, was gone.

Though perhaps not entirely.

As Irene sat up willing back the sudden tears in her eyes, she saw the shimmer of a strange glassy stone in her lap. She carefully picked it up and held it in her hands. It had a cool blue core and pulsated as she turned it over, examining it.

“What’s…?” Seulgi began to ask.

“Magicite?!” Heechul breathed in answer. He scrambled back to the desk and shuffled some papers around, looking for a pencil. “I can’t believe…? After all this time…”

“What are you babbling about?” Solji asked in annoyance.

Heechul scoffed and rolled his eyes at the plebian don. “Magicite! The purest form of an esper’s energy. Do you realize how long I’ve been searching for a way to…? And for it to be _this easy_...?”

Irene stood up so quickly, all conversation ceased. “Easy?” she asked in a deadly quiet voice. She clutched the shard of magicite tightly in a fist as she looked over at a chagrined Heechul.

“I-Irene… my life’s work,” Heechul begged for understanding.

“Well now you’ve discovered it,” she said acidly. “Congratulations.” She turned back towards the Returners. “We need to go after Leeteuk.”

“What?!”

“Leeteuk?”

“The Court Wizard? Why him?”

“With the Witch in tow? _That’ll_ be fun,” Solji added dryly, and Irene glared at her with such a threat in her eyes that the don looked suitably cowed.

“First you protect _this_ lunatic,” Yeri protested, pointing at Heechul, “and now you want to abandon our ultimate goal in order to go after the _second_ in command?” The thief walked right up to Irene, undeterred by her hard stare. “What are you _really_ here for?” she asked quietly.

Irene held Yeri’s gaze with an authority becoming of an ex-general used to making difficult decisions. “I’m here to win a war, one way or another. And right now our best bet is to take out the three people at the head of the campaign: the Court Wizard, the General of the Imperial Army, and Wen-... and the Witch. They’re all heading out on a mission together. We may never get another opportunity to strike them all at once, at the same time, in the same place.” Irene knew her logic was flawless, and that even if Yeri had her misgivings about Irene’s true intentions in this fight, she at least wouldn’t be able to argue with her about this.

“What about the rest of the... er, espers,” Joy asked, eyeing the other tanks warily.

“DON’T!” Heechul suddenly yelled, jumping in front of Ifrit’s tank. “Some of them are so weak they wouldn’t last a minute outside their tanks, and the others… if you free them, there’s no telling what kind of havoc they’d wreak. Irene, I’m serious,” he reasoned. “You don’t know what we went through to contain them. If you unleash their powers on the world, there’s no telling how many they’d kill in their revenge.”

“And whose fault is that?” Yeri spat, unmoved.

“Irene, please,” Heechul begged. “Think of Wendy… but ten times _worse_ ,” he warned darkly.

Irene held his gaze for a moment before finally nodding. “Fine, but we’re not done here,” she called after him as he gave her a faint, grateful smile and walked back to his desk. “Once we settle things with Leeteuk, we’re coming back to put a stop to this, whether you want us to or not.”

He nodded somberly as he fished around in the pocket of his yellow lab coat and pulled out a key. He unlocked a drawer in the filing cabinet and pulled it open, withdrawing two files. He slowly walked over to her and held them out. “The next time we meet, you’ll probably try to kill me, then, because I’ll protect my work with my life,” he admitted quietly as he smiled down at her softly. “So here. Some light reading for your trip.”

Irene took the two aged files suspiciously and eyed their faint labels. “... ‘Joohyun’,” she read aloud before glancing at the next one, “and ‘Seungwan’...?”

“Trip?” Joy asked. “Where are they going? Where are _we_  going?”

“To Narshe,” Heechul answered. “Miners seem to have found another esper trapped in a glacier near the town. It’s a particularly powerful one, so Leeteuk thought it’d be best to retrieve it himself.”

"And we should believe you?" Yeri asked scathingly.

Heechul gave her a wane smile, the tiredness in his expression returning. "A small concession so that you'll let me keep the rest of these," he nodded to the tanks. "For now, at least," he added with a small smile at Irene before walking back to the filing cabinet.

Irene watched him walk away quietly. She felt like she should say something after his admission about them now being on opposite sides of this war. But what could she really say, after everything?

“Irene?” Seulgi asked gently, her fingers hesitantly brushing her wrist as the rest of them turned to leave. Irene glanced up at her with an unreadable expression and Seulgi nodded towards the door. “Moonbyul’s waiting.”

She nodded with a light sigh, but Joy suddenly piped up, “Wait, the Sky Armors!”

Yeri looked at the queen askance. “What about them?”

“I’ve been wondering how we’re going to escape, and it’s perfect! We’ll just hijack a couple of the Sky Armors and fly back to the Blackjack!” Joy exclaimed.

Seulgi beamed at their luck, but her face fell again at Solji’s question. “That’s great except… does anyone know how to fly a Sky Armor?”

“How hard can it be?” Joy asked. “If an Imperial soldier can figure it out, then you bet your last gil so can I!”

“I’d take that bet if the guards hadn’t confiscated my cash,” Solji grumbled.

Heechul didn’t watch them go, he merely heard the girls finally rush back into the factory, slamming the iron door shut behind them. He stared down at the last file in the drawer, wondering if he should have given it to Irene as well, but either way, it was too late now. It was so old, even he could barely read the faint penciled label in the shadow of the cabinet: ‘Jeongsu’.

He slowly shut the drawer and locked it once more, slipping the key back into his pocket.

+++

 

Stealing a pair of Sky Armors was a simple matter of outrunning the goggled engineers on the factory floor, and dispatching the handful of guards clustered near the open bay doors. Flying a pair of Sky Armors was where the true challenge lay as Solji, Irene and Seulgi piled into one and Joy and Yeri scrambled into the other and they attempted to take off. Irene was relieved to see that the control panel was reminiscent of a Magitek Armor’s console, and after a few false starts she finally managed to get them airborne, while the Queen of Figaro, head of her own team of royal engineers, struggled a bit with all the levers and switches before sending them zipping past the trio at a breakneck speed.

“WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Joy cackled madly as she sent them looping up in a spiral, gaining altitude at a rate that was undoubtedly unhealthy, and most _definitely_ unsafe as Yeri screamed shrilly in her ear and had a death grip around her neck.

And as Irene struggled to catch up to the maniacal pair, she was relieved to see the garishly large flying casino still circumnavigating the ziggurat. It seemed like she was going to have to find a way to thank the ace airship pilot after all, though their journey wasn’t over just yet.

No, indeed. It was just beginning.

 

 

 

 

_End Act I_


	20. INTERMISSION: Maranda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (((a/n Hello! This is Haro! Please note that the very end of this chapter contains a scene that could be considered rated "M", though it contains no graphic depictions. Thank you!)))

It was a long train ride to Maranda, especially with Irene worried about whether or not the courier had made it to the rural township in time to stop the first assault. This would be her first test as General of the Gestahlian Army, a climb she had dedicated her life to, and she was already taking a number of risks: personally leading a reserve battalion into battle, cancelling previous orders to use their ‘ultimate weapon’, and most of all, trying to exert some measure of power over the Court Wizard. Leeteuk was used to being his own boss in the field, loosely obeying the goals of the previous generals and turning besieged cities into his personal playgrounds.

But that stopped today.

She sat back in her seat as the wide fields of dead grass that stretched away from Vector finally gave way to the dark woods and rising hills of the countryside. She had thought she’d be too focused on the upcoming mission to be able to rest during their journey, but the repetitive sight of the forest rushing past, and the rise of mountains on either side of the tracks as they raced through the pass soon lulled her to sleep.

Eunji, however, was restless. She couldn’t concentrate on the game of dice the lower-ranking officers in her cabin were playing, and they often had to call her back to attention to place her bets.

“C’mon, Commander, don’t tell me now that you’ve been promoted you’re too good for us!”

“Maybe we should raise the stakes to match her new pay rate!”

“Fat flying chocobos! I’m already 50 gil in the hole, how am I supposed to ante up?”

“Watch your language, you’re talking to a _superior officer_ , now!”

Snickering and the sound of roughhousing brought Eunji out of her thoughts and made her roll her eyes. “Alright, alright, how much do I owe? I’m going to go find something to eat.” But to her surprise, she had actually managed to win without realizing it, and her junior officers forked over their gil with appropriate amounts of grumbling. She accepted her payout with all the grace of a casino house dealer, and excused herself from the cabin.

As soon as she slid the narrow door shut and was greeted by the relative silence of the narrow hall of the train car she let her facade drop and sighed. The constant, rhythmic clacking of the wheels against the tracks did little to soothe her tempestuous thoughts. She held the railing on the wall of the car to steady herself as she absently gazed out the window at the landscape as it passed by in dull flashes of color.

At the end of this rail another battle awaited, but instead of leading a platoon into position, she’d likely be staying back in the camp, in the safety of the command center, relaying orders from the General to runners. It seemed disingenuous somehow, to not be on the front lines with the soldiers under her command. There was only one other person on this train who ranked higher than she did, and Eunji hoped she might have some advice to impart.

The young Commander made her way down to the end of the car and slid the heavier set of doors apart, exposing herself to the roar of the train as it raced through the pass, closer and closer to Maranda. Carefully navigating the short jump to the next car, she let herself inside and began scanning the cabins, looking for the General. Irene’s words echoed in her mind: I… I trust her. Even now, more than a day after the Table of Commanders had drafted the new orders and made the preparations to execute Irene’s plans, Eunji still felt a little guilty at the General's admission.

Eunji herself hadn’t trusted Irene much at all while they had grown up in the field together.

Eunji had always known that Irene was destined to make a name for herself in the Empire, and not just because she knew Irene was one of the Chief Engineer’s special experiments. There had always been something unflinching in her eyes; she wasn’t like the normal recruits, in it mostly for the money, unable to find any other work in the bloated capital city of Vector. It was clear that Irene’s goal had been to rise to the top. She wanted it more than the others, and up until yesterday, Eunji had thought it was because she really believed in what the Empire was doing. She thought Irene had drunk the elixir and swallowed every pretty phrase the Emperor uttered to his troops to spur them on to victory against his enemies.

Eunji hadn’t realized that there might be a little more to the General's motivations until Irene's announcement to bench 'the Witch', and that put them both in a new light for her.

Finally finding the correct cabin, she paused in front of the glass door, seeing Irene slumped against the corner of her seat. Her long, dark hair hid her face, but the way it bobbed gently suggested she was asleep. Like this, she didn’t seem like the general of the largest, most ruthless army in the World of Balance, even in her green officer’s coat. She looked small and girlish, innocent even, and Eunji quietly slipped inside and sat in the seat opposite of her, lacking the desire to wake her up just yet.

She wondered what Irene was really like outside of the guise of General. She wondered if the Witch - if Wendy knew, and if she herself would ever be privileged enough to find out.

+++

 

Irene’s hand was on her hilt in a flash as she woke up with a start. Someone was in her cabin and whoever it was quickly grabbed her wrist.

“General! It’s me!” Eunji sputtered anxiously, knowing she had probably been close to losing a limb or two had it not been for her quick reflexes.

Irene relaxed visibly, but glowered at the Commander. “What are you doing in here?” she asked tersely.

Once Eunji was sure Irene wasn’t about to skewer her, she let go of Irene’s wrist and sank back in her seat. “I should have knocked,” she admitted with a small grin, “but I was kind of tired of the noise in the officers’ cabin and it was nice and quiet in here, so…”

Irene’s features softened, though she didn’t return Eunji’s smile. To think someone would seek out her company in order to relax… “How close are we?” Irene asked, her gaze turning to the window.

“Only another couple hours,” Eunji replied, watching her profile. “General-”

“Irene is fine.”

Eunji nearly choked. Just Irene? General Bae, the Ice Princess, wanted them to be on a first-name basis?

Irene noticed her discomfort and glanced at her. “Just when we’re alone,” she clarified. “We’ve got a lot to discuss, and having to call you ‘Commander’ every two seconds seems superfluous.”

Eunji stared at her another moment before finally recovering. “You… you were the one who put me up for promotion, weren’t you?”

Irene crossed her legs and arms, sitting back in her seat with a cat-like poise. “You follow orders very well, and I needed to make sure that I had an ally at the Table.” Eunji was competent and trustworthy, two very valuable qualities in a junior officer, and while Irene was taking a bit of a calculated risk trusting her in this way, she had reason to believe Eunji wouldn’t disappoint her. She needed to endear Eunji to her, which was something Irene had never had to do before in her climb up the ranks. All she had was her own merits and motivations to work with. She hoped honesty would be enough.

“You saw how Commanders Kim and Do already don’t trust me to take the lead with Maranda,” she continued, watching Eunji carefully. “But we’re _not_ going to use Wendy to win every difficult battle we face. We’re revealing too much about our capabilities if we don’t save her for only the most stubborn enemies.”

Eunji nodded slowly. It was believable, logical, sound reasoning, but Irene’s flare of temper at the Commanders’ table had belied ulterior motives. Irene didn’t want to use Wendy for frivolous _or_ difficult enemies. She didn’t seem to want to use her _at all_ , and that was very curious.

“This is our proving ground,” Irene finished. “We’ll take Maranda in an unconditional surrender, and we’ll do it _without_ Wendy.”

+++

 

The train halted in the trainyard-turned-military outpost just outside of the modest city of Maranda, and as Eunji stepped off onto the platform, glad to finally be free of the constant swaying and shuddering of the car on its tracks, she could already feel the tension in the air. Soldiers who had already been sent on ahead during the first wave of the operation were helping unload supplies, including the Magitek Armors strapped to rail car beds in rows, ominously sitting on their metallic haunches like a dozen or so predatory birds. One by one, they were powered on, their cannons emitting a brief glow of magical energy as they warmed up, and the pilots walked the Armors off the train and towards the camp.

There was no way the city didn’t know they were already here, amassing a sizable military presence just a few miles away from their quiet neighborhoods. This was a very dangerous game Irene was playing, and Eunji still wasn’t quite sure how they were going to pull it off. Eunji had only just been recruited into the army when the siege of Tzen had occurred, the Empire claiming imminent domain over the small city-state nestled into the mountains just north of the Vector, transforming the entire area into a massive industrial complex. She knew their goals at Maranda were similar: their men would be conscripted, and the rest of the citizens would be trained for factory operations or for working in the fields to feed Gestahl’s massive army.

“Commander Jung,” Irene called as she walked quickly down the platform towards the rows and rows of tents erected between the disused tangle of train tracks. Eunji immediately followed after her, as they wove their way towards the command center.

“Yes, General?” Eunji asked as she hustled to catch up to Irene. The General had been even younger when Tzen had been overrun, but Irene seemed to hold none of Eunji’s concerns about the siege.

“I said I needed an ally at the Table of Commanders when I gave my orders before,” she said quietly, not wanting to be overheard as they quickly moved through the camp, heading for the command center. “But now I need your brain on this; we need to come up with a solid plan, and I need you to not just follow me blindly. I don’t care what it takes, but we have to resolve this quickly - anything that doesn’t require the use of… Wendy…” she trailed off, as they reached the largest of the tents, under the awning of which stood a very grumpy Court Wizard angrily tapping his foot, and Wendy standing a few feet away from him.

“Oh, finally, _now_ maybe we can get this little party started~” Leeteuk complained loudly, disregarding the soldiers standing at attention nearby as Irene and Eunji walked up to the pair.

“To start,” Irene replied coolly, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Wendy, “I’m going to need a briefing on the current situation, and if anything has changed between when I left Vector and now.” She took a step past him towards the large tent, but paused, a flare of temper getting the best of her. She signaled to a soldier and gestured at Leeteuk and Wendy. “Please escort the Court Wizard back to his tent and see if there is anything he needs. He’s my _guest_ after all,” she finished with a challenging glare up at the older man.

But Leeteuk wasn’t having it. “Not so fast, General. As an _observer_ for the Emperor, I am _very_ interested in hearing how you plan on carrying out this attack, especially without the Witch, here.” Leeteuk gestured that Wendy should enter the tent ahead of him, and held the flap open for her. There was nothing she could do but follow his direction after shooting Irene a nervous look.

“General-” Eunji began.

“It’s fine,” Irene muttered. “I was just trying to spare myself a headache. We need some good ideas, Commander, and we need them _now_.”

+++

 

Irene resisted the urge to rub her temples and Eunji pulled her officer’s coat a little tighter around herself. The seeping cold was a disquieting reminder that Irene possessed abilities far beyond Eunji’s comprehension - and that the General was under a great deal of stress. The table was silent as Irene leaned over the crudely drawn map with its marks and dashes representing military units and key infrastructure in the city.

One of the dashes was labeled ‘school’.

Wendy was trying not to fidget next to Irene, watching her icy counterpart practically glare a hole in the table as one of the officers spoke up, continuing to explain the results of their reconnaissance missions.

Leeteuk rubbed his hands together gleefully. “The water towers are surrounded, the fields are ready to be razed, we can have Magitek Armor positioned at every major avenue into the city within an hour, and the forest is already full of all manner of monstrous beasts. When do we begin~?” he deigned to ask, turning a disturbingly wide grin Irene’s way.

“You failed to note the waterways that crisscross the city - easily defensible positions that would create a bottleneck for our troops trying to infiltrate key points,” Irene countered, pointing at the map.

Leeteuk scoffed. “Defend with what?” he snarled. “If you think these peasants have more than a handful of rifles to their name, then you’re grossly overestimating them. A couple high-energy beams from the Magitek Armors, and the city will be ours,” he finished with a sweeping gesture across the map, blurring the strategically made marks.

Irene glowered at him for a moment, and the room went frigidly cold.

“What’s the matter, General? If you have a better idea, I’m _all_ ears.”

“I want to talk to the Mayor,” Irene stated resolutely.

The other officers in the tent shifted uncomfortably, though none dared to bring up the fact that requesting an audience with Maranda’s mayor would give away the fact that they were planning a large-scale siege against the city.

“Uwee hee hee! Of _course_! Why _not_! Tea with the Mayor of the city we’re currently planning on razing to the ground. _Perfect_ , I’ll set up a meeting right away!”

Irene glared at the Court Wizard as he waltzed out of the tent practically crowing with laughter, but she was secretly shocked - and thankful - that he hadn’t put up more of a fight. It was probably because he wanted her to fail on her first assignment and thought that Irene was already making a massive mistake. Wendy took a hesitating step, as if to follow him, but Irene quickly reached for her hand under the table, pulling her back by her side.

“Now that… the meeting is being set up, we can work on a contingency plan in case it doesn’t work. Commander? I’m going to need you to really dig in at these points,” Irene stated, reluctantly releasing Wendy to reach for the pens to begin redrawing the smudged marks on the map.

Eunji gave Wendy a sidelong glance before finally turning her gaze to the General to listen carefully. Irene was playing a dangerous game indeed, if Eunji’s growing suspicions were correct.

“And Lieutenant?” Irene asked as she carefully began marking off Eunji’s projected positions next to key city assets.

“Yes, ma’am?” The soldier snapped to attention with a salute.

“Fetch me the dossier on the Mayor,” she ordered calmly. “And his family.”

+++

 

The city of Maranda was barely more than a town, and a quaint one at that. Unlike the bustling port of Albrook to the south - next on the Empire’s list - the only military advantage Maranda boasted was its mild weather and fertile fields, perfect for ensuring a steady supply of food for Gestahl’s growing army and long campaigns.

The Tudor-style architecture, and the cobblestone avenues, criss-crossed with small canals and bridges, gave the city an antiquated feel, especially when Irene had grown up surrounded by the relatively modern steel buildings and smog-choked paved roads. She knew her small retinue of officers, including Commander Jung and the Court Wizard, likely felt the same way as they marched towards City Hall, on their way to the meeting that had been set up with the Mayor.

The municipal building was distinguishable from its neighbors only by the fact that it had flags flying from its facade, with the city state’s crest emblazoned in a bright red on an otherwise completely white background. Irene barely paused at the door, surprised that the city had enough resources to staff two retainers at the entrance who let the Gestahlian representatives inside. The interior was furnished in a way that complimented the quaint architecture of the city, with old, dark wood featuring prominently in the wall paneling and furniture, and Irene was begining to question whether Leeteuk might have been right: if even their Mayor operated from such a plain-looking building, what kind of defense would this city be able to muster against the Imperial Army? But Irene was resolute; she needed to have complete control over the situation, leaving no ounce of credit that could be claimed by the Court Wizard, and no excessive losses on either side.

A retainer followed them into the foyer and gestured up a wide staircase to the second floor. “If you please, the Mayor’s office is upstairs.”

One by one the officers dropped out of the party, stationing themselves at points along the way towards the mayor’s office, silently setting up a perimeter as they had been ordered to do. Leeteuk seemed immensely amused already with Irene’s plans, but she couldn’t even feel comforted at her soldiers’ efficiency and assertive stances, nor feel proud at how they ignored all attempts by the nervous retainer to encourage them to continue on as a group. She merely trusted that they would follow her every instruction to the letter, no matter the consequences or their moral objections.

For the good of the Empire.

They entered the wide office, brightly lit by a large half-dome window behind the Mayor’s long, but modestly ornamented desk. The portly man himself rose from his chair and came around to greet his guests with a hearty handshake and a nervous smile.

He was barely taller than Irene herself, Eunji noted with a light frown, and she could see that he was already intimidated by her fierce gaze. Hopefully that meant he would cooperate.

He greeted the Court Wizard with a low bow, which Leeteuk returned with a nod and a predatory gaze. Clearly uncomfortable, the Mayor turned his attention to Irene. “General Bae, I presume?” he asked with a commendably stable voice. At Irene’s grim nod, he hesitated before continuing. “And to what do we owe the honor of having the Empire visit our humble city, may I ask?” It seemed he _did_ know about the troops camped at the trainyard.

Eunji held her breath, knowing that negotiation wasn’t Irene’s strong suit, and anticipated that she might even turn the conversation over to the Court Wizard, but Irene surprised her by getting straight to the point.

“The Emperor has decided that Maranda stands as a valuable potential asset to the Imperial Army and the future endeavors of the Empire. We’ve come with a treatise towards this end, and hope you’ll give our offer some serious consideration.”

Eunji could see out of the corner of her eye that Leeteuk was only just barely holding it together, practically vibrating with silent laughter as Irene bluntly forged ahead.

Irene held out her hand and Eunji quickly passed over the charters that would rewrite Maranda’s place in the World of Balance, placing it under the strict command of Emperor Gestahl. Irene turned the modest stack of pages to the Mayor and handed them to him in a stiff, business-like manner.

“You’ll find that Maranda will retain most of its essential institutions, like the school and boards of regulations, and you would be installed as the city’s governor,” Irene stated, as the Mayor regarded her with increasing stupefaction, slowly turning his bewildered gaze to the document in his hands. “But the production of consumables will become your city’s main priority, and their export to Vector and Tzen. We’ve analyzed your current abilities and have deemed that with the changes outlined in the charter, you should be able to increase production to five times your current levels. It will be up to you and your administrators to enact these changes, however.

“And if you refuse, the Imperial Army has already deployed several battalions to Maranda and stationed them just outside the your city’s limits.”

The Mayor raised his dumbstruck expression back up to Irene, meeting with her cold, impassive stare as she awaited his response. “This is quite a way to try and win yourself some allies!” he sputtered, beads of sweat trickling from his wrinkled forehead into his bushy brows.

“We’re don’t need allies,” Irene countered in a low voice. “What the Empire needs is a dedicated workforce. You’re only as useful to us as any other peasant tradesman. And if you don’t have a skill,” she continued, her gaze slowly shifting from his squinting eyes down to his portly, pumpkin-shaped body, “or if you can’t be taught a skill, then you’re simply a drain on resources.”

“Is that supposed to somehow convince me to join the proud city of Maranda to the Empire? What you’re talking about sounds like slavery!” the Mayor grumbled as he reached into the cuff of his sleeve and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his face with.

“It’s not like slavery,” Irene corrected. “It is slavery, Mayor. And I’m not here to convince you of anything. As the General of the Gestahlian Imperial Army, my task here is to draw up the terms of your unconditional surrender.”

“Unconditional…? Get out of my office! _GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!_ ” he roared, violently throwing the charter to the floor and gesturing to the door. “Get the militia,” he continued to his retainer, but one of Irene's junior officers moved to block the door. The Mayor turned a glare back on Irene. "If you won’t leave, you will be escorted off the premises!”

Irene spoke over him, her icy calm unbroken in the face of his rage. “I figured you wouldn’t completely understand the position you were in, as the Mayor of Maranda, so I have already prepared a little reminder for you.” It was Irene’s turn to gesture at one of her officers, who saluted and briefly left the office.

The Mayor, indignation coloring his face a bright red, could only wheeze as he waited for whatever little stunt Irene was about to pull. But his features paled almost immediately when the officer came back in with the Mayor’s own wife and son in tow.

“How…?”

“I took the liberty of sending my soldiers to your manor to pay proper respects to your family, since I was hoping we would be able to reach an agreement at this meeting,” Irene began coldly. Indeed her entire mein became brutally cold, sharp as an icicle, and just as threatening as it hung over the heads of these civilians.

“Imagine your wife here as a representative example of all the adults under your care in this city. They’re your constituents, after all. It’s your _civic duty_ to lead and protect them, even if it means… making a few sacrifices.”

Eunji folded her hands behind her back and stepped over to the window, overlooking the street below. How unsuspecting, how normal the townsfolk seemed as they hastened to and fro on their mundane errands. Eunji barely flinched as she heard the tell tale ringing of steel being unsheathed, immediately followed by the sound of fabric and flesh splitting under Irene’s blade.

“NO!!!” Eunji heard the Mayor choke out in a horrified cry. There was some shuffling and whimpering, presumably from the young boy the soldiers had also fetched.

“One for the sake of many. And your son,” Irene went on. “Let’s say he represents the potential of the peoples of Maranda. As I stated previously -”

“You MONSTER!!!”

“- as I stated previously,” Irene belligerently continued over the Mayor’s outcry, “those who can be put to work, or taught how to be of service to the Empire will be taken care of.”

“Please... please-!”

“But those who are not useful to us,” and Eunji could see, dimly reflected in the window, Irene raising her blade once again, “are a drain on resources.”

“Papa…?”

“HE’S MY ONLY SON-” Another sound of a sword striking down its target. Eunji felt the vibrations through her boots as the boy’s body hit the floor, a tingle that matched the one that crawled up her spine as she froze in place.

“He’s my only son… my boy…” the Mayor sobbed brokenly.

This hadn’t been part of the plan. Irene said she would use them to threaten the Mayor, but killing the child?

“Have I made my point?” Irene asked. Eunji heard the soft vpp vpp as Irene wiped her blade before resheathing it. “The paperwork is there if you are ready to do your duty and protect the people of Maranda.”

“You monster… you monster…” the Mayor softly cried, his voice muffled.

Eunji finally turned from the window and took in the scene, Irene with her hand resting on the hilt of her already-sheathed sabre, her chin raised as she watched the Mayor, who was on his knees hugging his son’s body tightly, his face buried in the crook of his limp neck.

“The charter, Mayor.”

“... I’ll do it,” he announced as he raised his broken expression up to meet Irene’s emotionless stare. “Just no more, please. No more…”

+++

 

“Bravo!” Leeteuk crowed as they walked back into camp, towards the command center. “I am absolutely tickled at such a ruthless display, my dear, sweet General~”

The rest of the party was deadly silent as he continued.

“Did you see his face, Commander?” he asked, cupping his own cheeks with his gloved hands. “The raw pain, the devastation…!” He kissed the tips of his fingers in appreciation. “Exquisite! Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed about not being able to use the Witch to wipe this eyesore of a city off the landscape, but I’ll admit, this was so much better.”

As the soldiers stationed outside the command center pulled back the tent flaps at their approach, Leeteuk waltzed on ahead and turned to look back at their somber faces, which only egged him on. “I’ll be honest, General Bae, I didn’t think you would be able to pull it off. I didn’t think you’d have the stomach for it…” and he paused, letting Irene begin to walk past him, giving him a chance to lean down and whisper in her ear.

“But I am so very pleased that you have proved me wrong. Or rather,” he continued, grabbing her by the arm suddenly, “perhaps you have proven me right after all. Now you’re a monster.

“Just…

“Like…

“ _Us_.”

Irene gritted her teeth and violently shook out of his grip. “I just did what I had to do,” she growled up at his infuriatingly manic expression.

“We all do, Irene. We all do,” he countered darkly, matching her iron gaze stare for stare.

“Commander Jung? Can you give the debriefing, please? I will return in a moment,” Irene said suddenly, breaking eye contact with Leeteuk to find her junior officer. Eunji blinked at her in surprise, but gave a salute nonetheless.

“Yes, ma’am…?”

Without another word, Irene turned on her heel and stiffly exited the command center and headed straight for her own personal tent nearby. She whipped the tent flap aside and stopped just inside, inhaling slowly, exhaling slowly, inhaling slowly, exhaling slowly. Irene had never felt ill after a fight. It was part of why she had been singled out for Heechul’s experiments to begin with, but after what she had done today, she could feel the bile creeping up the back of her throat and she swallowed instinctively.

“Irene?”

Irene’s eyes snapped open, immediately landing on Wendy who was seated at her table.

“What are you doing here?” Irene wondered. It was remarkable how even just seeing Wendy there across the tent already had such a calming effect on her. But she felt that foreboding tingling in her upper arms as she felt sick anew at the thought of Wendy finding out what she had done.

“... Irene?” Wendy asked again, getting up and quickly coming to Irene’s side. “What’s wrong? You look so…”

“Sick?” Irene laughed weakly, wiping at her mouth with a shaking hand.

Cold was what Wendy had been about to say. Irene’s skin was ghostly pale, nearly blue in its translucency, and her hair had taken on a crystalline shimmer, the likes of which Wendy hadn’t seen for many years.

“What happened at the meeting?” she whispered with concern. She put an arm around Irene, and would have hissed at how blisteringly cold she was to the touch had she not been prepared for it. She tried to encourage Irene to sit on her cot, and after a moment of resistance, Irene acquiesced.

“The meeting… we got the Mayor to sign the treaty,” Irene said numbly, feeling Wendy sit beside her and brush her hair away from her face. Wendy’s fingers were like the fluttering touch of a candle’s flame across her cheek, deceptively soft even as it stung, and she realized that she must be having a similar effect on Wendy in her distraught state. But why couldn’t she calm down?

“Isn’t that… good?” Wendy encouraged. There must be some caveat, or something that dampened their victory, but Wendy would be lying if she didn’t feel a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to wear the Slave Crown today.

“Yeah,” Irene sighed, finally turning a faint, cheerless smile Wendy’s way. “It’s very good.” Wendy easily saw through Irene’s attempt, her distress belied by her ice blue eyes. “Look,” Irene said with a reassuring tone in her voice as she slid out of Wendy’s grip and turned to face her on the cot. “What matters is that Maranda is ours, just like the Emperor wanted, and we can go home.”

“We can?” Why was she asking so many questions? Why couldn’t she really trust Irene’s words, even though she already relied on her so much? The frigid air in the tent and Irene’s cold stare were too suspicious. She reached out her hands and cupped Irene’s face, pulling the general towards her until their foreheads touched. “If everything’s fine, then why are you so cold?”

This was the part that Leeteuk couldn’t see, couldn’t understand about Wendy. Irene had witnessed several times Wendy's ability to use her magic to spread warmth and comfort, not just destruction and terror. Irene let her eyes close as she felt the heat radiating around her, Wendy's attempt to counter her fear and despair.

“Don’t ask,” Irene whispered.

But Wendy had never been one to take Irene’s orders. “What did you do?” she pressed, gently stroking her thumb along Irene’s cheekbone.

Irene couldn’t help leaning into her touch. It was… different than Wendy’s usual manner. It was more familiar. More intimate. Irene wanted to forget about the meeting. She wanted to forget Leeteuk’s words. She wanted to forget that they were in her tent in a military encampment, that they were at Maranda, that they were both disposable pawns in the Emperor’s wargames.

"You did something..." Wendy softly concluded from Irene's silence. "Something to protect me..."

Irene wanted to forget everything but the feeling of Wendy’s forehead pressed against hers, the way her fingers gently slid from her temples into her thick hair, and the way Wendy’s breath paused as Irene deliberately leaned in and kissed her.

Wendy couldn’t get over her initial shock fast enough, and Irene broke away with a light hiss, as if she had been scalded. “W… wait,” Wendy insisted, pulling Irene back in with a gentleness that Irene complied with immediately.

As Irene deepened the kiss, however, that’s where the gentleness ended. Wendy gasped in a white cloud of breath as Irene got up on her knees and used the press of her body to push Wendy down onto the cot, crashing on top of her, heatedly renewing their kiss. The play of Irene’s bitingly cold fingers along Wendy’s arms and down her sides, even through the fabric of her dress, made her shiver and writhe beneath Irene. She brought her arms up and wrapped them around Irene’s neck, holding her closer still, despite the chill.

This was Irene at the edge of her control with her abilities, and Wendy felt a sense of privilege knowing how vulnerable the older girl was right now. Despite the trust that had built up between them both for years, however, there was still a small twinge of fear as Wendy briefly opened her eyes and saw those ice blue ones gazing down at her. But this was Irene, Wendy knew, as she reached down and tugged at the sinch of the General's coat. In a way they were much closer now than Wendy would have ever thought was possible. They only had each other, two abominations against the world.

And for Irene’s part, she was ready to forget it all for Wendy.

+++

 

Eunji squinted, the harsh orange glare of the setting sun blinding her as soon as she stepped out of the command center. She brought the reports she had just finished writing up to shield her eyes as she scanned the camp. The first battalion that had been deployed to Maranda was already finishing up breaking their section of the camp, having received orders to head back to Vector to be reassigned. Irene’s own company would stay a while longer to make sure that the city complied with the charter and to help assist in setting up new trade operations to facilitate the exchange of goods between Maranda and the capital.

Eunji and Irene, however, were due to leave on the train with the original battalion, having already completed their part of the mission. The Commander had overheard many comments since the afternoon about how the General had ‘single-handedly’ forced the unconditional surrender of the city. She had even heard some of the soldiers calling Irene the Scourge of Maranda. And in truth, Eunji herself was very impressed, if she pushed aside her own mortification and looked at the situation objectively.

The siege of Maranda had been completed with only two casualties, and even those had been listed as ‘collateral’ in her reports. But Eunji was worried about the other damages incurred by Irene’s plot, and with a deep breath, she made her way over to the General’s tent.

She paused at the entrance, suddenly second-guessing her decision and wondering if Irene would appreciate Eunji checking in on her. But as the afternoon had wore on, and Eunji had been left alone in the command center to make many of the final decisions about the terms surrender, she worried that Irene may have truly regretted her actions during the meeting. Her marked absence had drawn wicked laughter from the Court Wizard, and mild confusion among the junior officers.

Even General Bae Irene couldn’t be infallible, right? With another deep inhale, Eunji pushed aside the tent flap and held her breath as she froze. The tent floor was littered with clothing: the General’s coat, her black pants and shirt, even her sabre in its sheath was tilted against the table haphazardly. But what drew Eunji’s attention was a familiar red dress and pale pink cloak discarded at the foot of Irene’s cot, drawing the Commander’s eyes up to its two occupants fast asleep in each other’s arms beneath the heavy wool blanket.

Eunji wordlessly took a step back out of the tent and let the flap fall back into place, and turned to watch the failing sunset as it concluded across the pastoral fields of Maranda. She felt like she understood more about Irene from this brief, intimate glimpse than in all of their years of service together.

Despite the obvious confirmation of her prior suspicions about the General, however, Eunji still found herself whispering into the twilight.

“... But are you happy, Irene?”

 


End file.
